Wolf's Blood, Sweat and Tears - New Beginnings
by bturrell316
Summary: After the devastating attack that turned her, Clarke and her mother move to a new town to try and deal with her... condition. Clarke gets quite a shock though when she learns that not only are werewolves more common than she thought, but far more attractive as well. Can she balance her new life with her old one though, as she discovers that her old friends aren't willing to give up
1. Chapter 1

"It's better this way." Abby said, wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulder. "I know this is hard, but your friends will be able to visit once we know it's safe."

Clarke nodded, wiping away the last of her tears with the pale blue sleeve of her sweater. She looked around her room, barely recognizing it. All her paintings and art supplies were boxed up. Her closet doors hung open exposing the inside completely bare. She couldn't believe they were moving. She'd lived her entire life here. She grew up here. All her memories of her father were here. She swallowed the painfully large lump forming in her throat, and blinked back another round of tears, refusing to let them start up again.

Noticing her daughter's forlorn expression, Abby only tried harder to comfort her. "It's only an hour upstate." She said. "I'm sure Octavia and Bellamy and Raven, will all be able to come visit on the weekends."

Clarke was only half-listening, once her thoughts were on her father, and the last time she'd seen him, she retreated into her head reliving the memories of that fateful night, whether she wanted to or not.

They had been on a camping trip, her and her father, along with the Jahas, Theo and his son Wells, who had been Clarke's best friend at the time. Normally Clarke loved spending some quality time with her dad, Jake, but camping? She'd questioned it as soon as her mother had brought it up. 'Come on,' Wells had said. 'It'll be great.' Clarke wasn't so sure though.

That first night, Clarke forgot all about her initial reservations. Sitting around the campfire, looking up at the stars. It took her breath away. There were so many more stars visible here, now that they were away from the city. Clarke couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live among them up in space, gazing down at the earth. She imagined it like an shimmering emerald and sapphire jewel.

Theo pulled out a bottle of old expensive whiskey, and he and Jake started passing it back and forth. They chatted and laughed, long into the night, burning through heaps and heaps of firewood.

"Don't worry," her father said. "We'll gather some more tomorrow."

About an hour later though everyone was starting to fall asleep. Jake stopped stoking the fire, instead allowing it to burn down to embers. They all laid out their rucksacks around the pile of glowing coals, and one by one drifted off to sleep.

Clarke laid awake for what seemed like a long time, just lying on her back, looking up at the night sky. She could make out the smoky gray ribbon of stars that were the Milky Way, arching high above them from one ridge of mountains to the south, the direction Clarke's feet were pointing, all the way across the sky and over her head to the opposite ridge of mountains to the north.

She couldn't recall at what time she actually ended up falling asleep. She just remembered waking up in the middle of the night with an urgent need to pee. Crawling from her sleeping bag, she pulled on her boots. She grabbed her flashlight and a roll of toilet paper from the truck, and headed off into the woods. She didn't want to go too far, but she also didn't want the light, or more importantly the noise to wake anyone. Who wants to be woken up by the sound of someone pissing in the woods?

When Clarke figured she was a safe distance away, she undid her pants, pushing her jeans and underwear down to her ankles. She squatted and relieved herself. She wiped herself, dug a little hole with the heel of her boot, and buried the used toilet paper. She was using her foot to pack the earth back into place when she heard a brief rustle of leaves and the snap of a twig. She turned, shining her light in the direction the noise had come from, but she didn't see anything.

There was a sudden blur of movement from her left, then snarling, drooling jaws were only inches from her face. The white flash of teeth and fangs caught her eye as the tremendous weight knocked her off her feet. She landed hard, with the breath knocked out of her, but as gnashing jaws opened again, she was able to raise her arm just in time, sacrificing her limb, instead of letting that vicious maw clamp around her throat.

She hadn't remembered screaming for help, but suddenly her father was there. A large tree branch came crashing down on the wolf's head. It yelped, released Clarke's arm, and turned on Jake, snarling ferociously.

"Dad!"Clarke cried.

"Get back to camp and get in the truck." He said. "Go!"

Clarke had staggered backwards out of sheer terror, cradling her damaged arm, but she had no intention of leaving her father's side.

"Go!" He repeated, swinging the branch in wide arc's, keeping the beast only barely at bay. Suddenly strong hands grabbed hold of Clarke's shoulders and began pulling her away.

"No. Dad." She cried again.

"Get her to the truck." Jake yelled.

Clarke struggled and fought, but the hands holding onto her were too strong. She dropped her light in the struggle, losing sight of her father. She heard the vicious growls and snarls of the animal. She heard her father's shouts and yells in his attempt to intimidate the animal. She heard the crashing of branches and bushes, heard the hollow thud of what she thought must be her father's improvised weapon making contact.

Theo dragged Clarke all the way back to the campsite. Opened the rear door of the truck and pushed her into the backseat, closing the door behind her. She saw him grab the ax and head back out into the woods. She went to follow, but Wells was in the backseat also. She hadn't even noticed, until his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders from behind, firmly holding her in place.

"No!" She screamed. "Let me go!" She struggled and fought him with all her might. Despite weighing nearly twice what she did, Clarke's adrenaline was pumping too high for him to keep ahold of her. During her haphazard, lashing attempts to free herself, a lucky elbow caught Wells' nose, and his grip loosened enough for her to get free. Her fingers quickly found the the door handle, popping the catch, and she leapt from the truck. The gravel crunched briefly under her boots, then she running through the dead leaves and underbrush, branches scratching at her face.

"Dad!" She called out. "Dad!"

"Clarke!" She heard her name, and ran towards it, even as she recognized that it wasn't her father's voice. Before she could stop herself, she was back in Theo's firm grip, and the hundred pound teen gave the full grown man, the fight of his life as she fought to free herself once again.

"Dad!" Her screams turned to wails. Her fright and terror, turning to agonized grief. There was no way she could've known what had happened, but on some deep and primal instinctual level, the truth was already gnawing at her.

"No!" Her voice was between a shriek and a growl, haunting, as it echoed off the mountain ridges around them before the sound dissipated into the blackness of the night sky.

The feeling of her mom's arms squeezing her tightly for an instant, pulled her out of her reverie. She noticed she was breathing heavily, and adrenaline beat through her rushing heart. She focused on taking deep breaths, realizing that her efforts to fight back her tears had failed, as they fell in hot trails gently but steadily down both cheeks.

Clarke snuffled, and wiped her tears away again. She took a deep breath and let it out with a laborious sigh.

"You okay?" Her mom asked.

Clarke nodded, sniffling again.

"Okay" Abby said. "Jackson will be here soon with his truck. Come down to help when you're ready."

Clarke nodded again, Abby gave her daughter another hug, kissing her on the forehead before she stood and left the room.

Clarke heard Jackson's voice as she came down the stairs a few minutes later.

"I still can't believe you're leaving Arkadia General, Abby. And for what? The thrill of small town medicine?"

Abby caught her daughter entering the kitchen from the corner of her eye. She gave Clarke a weak smile before turning back to Jackson.

"It's time for a change." Abby said. Jackson was the head nurse at Arkadia General Hospital, and Abby was the next in line to become chief of surgery. Abby could understand, how it might seem to Jackson, like she was throwing away a great opportunity, but he had to understand that her daughter came first. She let everyone assume it had more to do with her husband's death, and less about what happened to her daughter.

"Hi, Clarke." Jackson said, as she came in.

"Hey, Jackson." Clarke said. "So are you guys done, or did you save all the heavy boxes for me?" She asked only half joking.

"We were just about to get started actually, so you're right on time." Abby said.

"Oh good." Clarke replied.

She turned back around to the living room, followed by her mom and Jackson, where stacks of boxes waited to be loaded into Jackson's truck. With no specific indication of where to get started, Clarke simply bent down to pick up the box nearest to where she stood.

"Careful, dear. Those are... my medical journals..." Abby's voice trailed off as her teen daughter hefted the heavy box as if it was nearly empty, when she knew for a fact, that it was full of very thick hard-backed books. Abby had needed to push it from her office to the living room. Luckily cardboard slid over carpet pretty easily.

After lifting the box, Clarke looked to her mother and simply shrugged.

"One of you wanna get the door for me?" Clarke asked, after a moment. Jackson hurried to the front door, opening it, before running ahead to lower the tailgate of his truck as well.

Neither Clarke nor Abby were terribly surprised by Clarke's impressive strength. Abby just seemed to let it slip her mind, just how much Clarke had been changed the night her father died. For Clarke though, it seemed to be all she thought about.

Theo drove that night, when they had left the campsite. Wells tried to console Clarke, but Clarke refused to let him. The last thing she wanted was to be touched by him. Clarke's arm was still bleeding, hot throbbing pain pulsed from the tips of her fingers, up to her brain, echoing just behind her eyes with every thudding pulse of her heart beat. She had grown slightly dizzy and had broke into a cold sweat.

"How's she holding up?" Theo asked his son as he drove, glancing into the rear view mirror.

"She's burning up" Wells said, putting his hand on her forehead. "I don't know what's wrong."

Clarke bitterly smacked his hand away with her good arm.

"I'm going into shock." She glared at him, as if he was a moron for not knowing that.

"Don't worry Clarke, we'll get you to the hospital." Theo told her.

Clarke shook her head.

"Our house is closer." She said. "My mom'll be home."

Theo thought about it, but only for a moment. Abby was the best surgeon in the state, and the Griffin's medicine cabinet was better stocked than the average walk-in clinic.

"Gimme your shirt." Clarke said to Wells. Wells looked at her confused. "Fine." She muttered. "God dammit, Wells."

"Clarke, what are you doing?" He asked, as she began tearing at her own shirt with her one functioning hand. Again she swatted his arms away as he tried to still her. Her one good arm still delivering an impressive amount of strength considering her condition.

Finally she managed to get her t-shirt over her head. She wrapped it tightly around her open wound, and he realized too late what she was doing to offer any kind of useful assistance. Using her one good hand and her teeth, she tied her makeshift bandage off with a tight knot. She slumped back in her seat, leaning against the door, trying to put as much space between herself and Wells as she could. Her chest rose and fell, breathing heavily from her effort, as she glared at Wells with her icy blue eyes. He looked back at her pitifully, swallowing the lump in his throat, trying very hard to ignore the fact that her upper body was nearly fully exposed, concealed by only her black sports bra.

The image of him swallowing nervously and awkwardly looking away, was the last thing she remembered before finally passing out.

Looking back on it now, Clarke would have loved to have been awake to hear the conversation Jaha had with her mom when they carried her bleeding unconscious daughter into the house, and how Jaha had tried to explain the fact that he had left his best friend behind in the woods to be eaten by wolves.

When Clarke did finally wake up though, it was with confused disorientation. A part of her had expected to wake up, in her rucksack, staring up at the sky through bare reaching tree branches. Instead she woke to the dim light filtering through her window. No, it wasn't her window. She was in her mother's bed. Why? Suddenly all the memories came flooding back to her. Her eyes shot to her arm, where her wound was covered with a clean and professional bandage. She tried to sit up, but her body was heavy and her arms felt like Jello. She collapsed back onto her pillow, and opened her mouth to try to call for someone. Her throat was dry and scratchy though, and no sound came out at first.

Just then the door swung open. Clarke's initial relief was swallowed up by something else, when she saw Wells enter.

"Clarke, you're awake." He said, rushing to her side, the relief obvious on his face.

"Where's my dad?" She asked. Her voice was weak, and gravely, and she didn't recognize it. It hurt her throat to talk, but she forced herself to.

"Clarke..." Wells said.

"Where's my dad?" She asked again. The pain tore through her vocal chords along with choked sobs, which hurt worse than speaking did. Tears began streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"Tell me." She demanded. Her blue eyes boring into his. Wells had stood and was backing towards the door. "Dammit Wells!" She cried. "Tell me!" He turned and rushed from the room. She heard him calling for her mother, even as she wanted to chase him down and force him to tell her. She wanted to hear it from him or his father. She was too weak to get out of the bed though, and once again, just fell back on her pillow. This time with a steady stream of tears running down her cheeks.

Abby rushed in moments later. Her own tears began falling as soon as she laid eyes on her daughter. She kneeled by the bed, brushing her fingers through Clarke's hair. She tried to whisper words of encouragement to her. She tried to ensure her daughter that everything would be alright, but they ended up just crying together, for what seemed like a long time.

Clarke was only moderately surprised to learn that she'd been out of it for the better part of two days; she had forbade Wells, or Theo from visiting again once she was fully lucid. It was another three days before she was strong enough to get out of bed. Abby was puzzled as to why Clarke was so weak. She changed the bandages, and checked the stitches everyday. There was no sign of infection. She drew Clarke's blood, took it to the hospital and tested it, but found no evidence of blood poisoning there either. It wasn't Clarke's appetite either, that was for sure. Abby couldn't explain it, but Clarke was devouring food like never before. Her resting heart rate and core body temperature were also at a near constant elevated rate. Abby figured she'd give it one more day, and she would have to relent and take Clarke in to the hospital. It was that night. The night before Abby would've given in, their lives truly changed forever.

Abby was in her room sitting on the edge of the bed. Clarke padded in from the bathroom after showering and brushing her teeth. Her mom had offered to help with the shower, but Clarke adamantly refused, no matter how difficult it was to do in her weakened state, and with only one arm. Clarke was dressed in a t-shirt and sweats, and crawled into bed. Her mom was still sleeping in her room for some reason, even though Clarke had offered to giver her back the master bedroom.

"I really don't need it anymore." Clarke said, but Abby just smiled and said it was fine. Clarke snuggled under the covers, and Abby was saying, 'goodnight,' when a sudden, lancing pain shot through Clarke's spine. She couldn't tell where it had originated, only that it was blindingly intense.

"Oh, god! It hurts!" She cried, arching her back off the bed.

"Clarke? What hurts?" Abby asked, trying to hold Clarke still. "Where does it hurt Clarke?"

"Everywhere." Clarke's eyes were screwed shut tight. Her face twisted in a grimace. Her fingers clawed at the mattress. Abby stood, trying to pin her daughter down, in an attempt to prevent Clarke from hurting herself, but it was to no avail. Clarke's powerful thrashing was enough to force Abby clear. She stumbled backwards a few steps, and froze in place. The sickening crunch of bone shifting beneath the skin filled her bedroom. She watched in terror as it began at Clarke's extremities. Her fingers and toes morphed and grew deformed. Clarke managed to roll herself over, and lift herself up onto her hands and knees.

The blood drained from Abby's face as the clothes tore themselves from her daughter's misshapen body. Her mind had identified what was happening, but there was no way she could consciously acknowledge it. It went on for several more minutes. Clarke's cries of pain, turned to grunts, and then growls and snarls. Her back arched as her body was covered in a thick fur coat. Her head thrashed from side to side as her long blonde hair grew shorter and her face and skull grew longer. Suddenly everything was quiet. Abby's heart was racing. Her eyes bulging. On her bed before her, where her daughter had just been lying a moment before was an immensely large wolf. She had yellowish, off-white fur with a pure white underbelly, but the same color bright blue eyes.

She sniffed the air, catching the scent of fear. It stirred something instinctual, that she couldn't identify. Her head whipped around, to where the human stood by the door. Clarke was in there, but it was like she was a passive observer in the animal's head. No clear thoughts registered, and she had no control over her new body.

Abby hadn't realized she'd been backpedaling towards the door until that massive head looked her way, and those piercing blue eyes fixed on her. She wasn't sure if Clarke was still in there or not, but instinct took over, and Abby moved faster than she ever had before. She was out of the room and slammed the door behind her. It still almost wasn't fast enough, as Clarke, or at least the wolf that was Clarke, slammed into the door only an instant later.

The growling, snarling and scratching at the door continued for several minutes. Abby collapsed, her back against the door. Her body jostled every time Clarke threw her weight against it. Abby prayed silently that the door would hold, and deeper down, prayed that her daughter was still in that animal, somewhere.

"Clarke" Abby pleaded. "Please, stop it, Clarke. Calm down." Her voice was barely a whisper. Tears of shock and terror streamed down Abby's face. She looked up to the ceiling, repeating her words over and over again. Then it stopped. Everything went quiet.

"Clarke?" Abby said at a near normal volume. Then she heard breaking glass from inside her room. She stood and opened the door to find a window broken, the night breeze blowing in through the drapes. Abby ran to the window.

"Clarke!" She yelled, but the wolf was a ghost, a wisp of fog that disappeared once it slipped into the shadows.

Abby immediately ran from the house, grabbing up her keys and getting in her car. She drove around all night looking for Clarke. She hadn't stopped to think, to try and explain what had happened. There was no way that would help anyway. She just had to find her daughter. It was nearly dawn before she did. In a park, at the far end of the suburbs, she found her daughter, fully in human form, lying naked in a the middle of a patch of bushes. Abby had found the wolf tracks, tracks nearly the size of her hand and followed them to where she found Clarke.

Clarke woke with a start, confused and even more disoriented, and cold. Her mother was kneeling over her, and she was in a bunch of bushes.

"Mom?" She tried to cover herself as she sat up, realizing she was completely naked.

"Stay here." Abby said. "Let me get you something." She ran to her car and grabbed a blanket from the trunk. She'd gotten stuck on the side of the road in a bad snowstorm once, and now carried a whole emergency kit everywhere she went. Crawling back under the bushes, she wrapped the blanket around Clarke's shoulders. Clarke hugged her arms around her shivering body.

"Come on, let's get you home." Abby helped her daughter out from under the bushes and to the car. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. Cold morning dew chilled Clarke's feet.

They rode home in silence, the heater turned all the way up. Clarke simply stared out the window the whole time, not offering a word. When they got home Abby sat Clarke on the couch in the living room and started a pot of coffee. She kneeled down in front of her daughter, rubbing her hands up and down Clarke's arms to help warm her up a bit.

"Clarke, do you remember what happened?" Abby asked.

Clarke nodded. "Kind of." She said. "I remember the pain. I remember when the change started."

"Do you remember anything after the... change?"

"It's... blurry. It's like I blacked out right after the change, but slowly kind of became aware of things. I heard your voice on the other side of the door. I saw the scratch marks and cracks in the door and was terrified of what might've happened if I'd made it through. I heard you call my name again, and I wasn't even sure what I would've done if you had opened the door, so I had to get out before that happened."

"So you jumped out the window." Abby said.

"Well, I never said I was thinking clearly." Clarke replied. "Just... thinking."

"At least we know you're still in there when that happens."

Both Clarke and Abby fell silent. Neither of them asked if it would happen again. It was as if they both already assumed that it would. Clarke let out a heavy sigh.

"Clarke..." Abby said drawing her daughter's attention to her forearm. Clarke looked at her arm. The bandage had obviously fallen off during the transformation, but now that she was human again, her arm was perfectly healed with not even a scar to show where she had been bitten.

"I... I was bitten by a werewolf." Clarke said, more to herself than her mom. She shook her head. It would've been impossible for her to believe if it hadn't actually happened to her.

Since that day, both Clarke and her mom began keeping track of her body's changes. She hadn't... changed since that day, but her knew body continuously surprised her.

The first thing they noticed was that her metabolism remained elevated. At least now Abby knew what was causing it. Clarke's resting heart rate, core body temperature, and appetite were all well above average.

Also, Clarke realized her senses of smell and hearing retained their canine acuity, even when she was in human form, as did her ability to see in the dark, which she actually thought was pretty cool.

Then there was her body's overall physicality. She was faster and stronger, with heightened agility and reflexes. She also had seemed to develop a preternatural ability to sneak up on people.

Clarke worked throughout the day mostly in silence, reliving the past month in her head as she carried box after box out to the truck. She saw that both Abby and Jackson were dripping with sweat, breathing heavily and taking regular breaks to rehydrate. Clarke though felt like she could go like this all day long. When Jackson voiced his surprise about it, both Abby and Clarke were able to laugh it off with practiced ease, and she simply continued working.

They finished loading the truck just after noon. Abby and Clarke took a long moment to say their silent goodbye to what had been their home. They shared a hug, and exchanged warm glances, their eyes misty. They both smiled though and Clarke nodded that she was ready. Abby nodded in return. They locked up the house and got in their car. Jackson would follow in the truck. The car was filled to the brim as well, the backseat and trunk were both fully loaded with boxes and bags, a cooler full of food from their old fridge, and the suitcases with the clothes they would want right away. Jackson's pickup mostly held Abby's medical journals and Clarke's painting supplies. A separate, professional moving team would truck some their furniture from their old house to their new one later that day. Abby explained that the new house would already be partially furnished though.

A little over an hour later, Abby slowed with her indicator on, and turned into a driveway of white smooth concrete. The driveway dipped down a slight hill, trees lining both sides. At the bottom of the driveway, Clarke was surprised to see a wide turnabout area. She had been a bit apprehensive, having not seen the new house yet, but when she did it nearly took her breath away. It was a unique blend of rustic and ultramodern, with a log cabin feel, but with plenty of full height glass windows, high ceilings, and sharp square angles. She could tell from the outside that it was at least two floors.

Abby pulled up in front of the door and parked. Clarke got out, the dappled sunlight that filtered through the leaves hit her face. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the scent of trees and earth. She heard the burbling of a stream close by.

"Wow, mom." Clarke said, turning back, sharing a smile with her mom over the roof of the car.

Jackson pulled his truck up, doing a three-point turn so that the tailgate was positioned closer to the front door.

"Wow, Abby." He said, echoing Clarke's sentiments. "I can almost see why you left Arkadia now."

"Come on, Clarke." Abby smiled, relieved to see that her daughter was pleased with her choice. She led the way to the front door, slipping the key in and turning the lock with a smooth *click.* She stepped inside and held the door open for her daughter and Jackson. "Welcome home." She said gently.

The main entrance opened into a small foyer. Instinctively Clarke removed her shoes before continuing. There was a single step up to a landing. A large decorative mirror hung on the wall to her right. There was a coat closet with double doors facing her. Turning to her left though, her breath caught in her chest, as she looked out through the living room. Clarke had underestimated just how much full height glass there was. Nearly two full walls of the living room were nothing but glass, and they looked out over the woods, revealing that the house was built right on the edge of a hill. Rolling hills of forest spread out as far as Clarke could see. A part of her, that new part of her, that was always with her now itched to leave the house and tear off through those woods, but she resisted. The living room had a high ceiling, with a railing from the upstairs hallway looking down over it. Wrapping around the house, the living room was adjoined to the very impressive kitchen finishing off the downstairs of the house, with a half-bath and the open set of stairs. Clarke went upstairs to find only the one hallway looking down on the living room, and two bedrooms, each with their own full bathroom and walk-in closet. Both rooms had at least two walls of full height glass as well and from the second floor, the view was even more amazing. One of the rooms, the one intended to be the master bedroom, Clarke figured, had a sliding door with a private patio.

"I figured this could be your room." Abby said. Clarke was almost startled, as if she forgot that her mother was with her. Abby shrugged when her daughter turned to her, with a questioning look on her face. "You know," she said. "Just in case you have any... urges in the middle of the night. At least you won't have to jump through a window."

Clarke could tell her mom was only half joking, but the little grin her mom was trying to suppress, made Clarke smile.

Clarke stepped out onto the patio. Their new home was not only an hour north of Arkadia, but also at a higher elevation. The air here was crisp, and the afternoon breeze smelled of early summer. Thinking practically, Clarke looked around the edge of the patio. She found a place where she could easily jump the railing, land on the roof of the first floor, and then down to the front yard. From there it would be easy to slip around the back of the house and down the hill into the woods.

Her mom came up behind her again. This time Clarke wasn't startled at all.

"So, what do you think?" Abby asked.

"I... I love it." Clarke said, turned and wrapping her mom up in a firm hug. Abby hugged her daughter back, and they stood like that for a long time.

"Come on," Abby said, finally pulling away. "Let's go help Jackson unload."

It was dark before they finished, and the movers arrived with the furniture they had decided to bring with them. Mostly it was just the personal items that would go in their bedrooms. Clarke understood now why the house had come partially furnished, with the common areas all having designer items. There was no way their old sofa would have worked in that new living room.

Clarke and Abby and Jackson stood around the island countertop in the kitchen, and had a dinner of frozen pizza; three frozen pizzas actually. Clarke had two by herself. Jackson surprised Abby with a bottle of wine as a housewarming gift, and they even let Clarke have a glass. After they had finished eating Jackson left in his truck, and Abby and Clarke got busy unpacking their things. Along with having a room twice as big as her old one, and having miles of woods to run wild in, Clarke was most excited by her private bathroom. In the old house, she'd had her own bathroom, but it had been halfway down the hall from her bedroom. As she unpacked her painting things, she was also excited by how much natural light her room had now, and with the view, she'd certainly never run out of inspiration.

Clarke woke up the next morning to bright early sunlight filling her new room. She climbed out of bed and spent a good thirty minutes just looking out over the woods. It had been nearly a week since her and her mom had moved in and gotten settled, and still she hadn't fully taken the opportunity to explore more than a few hundred yards from the house. She did find the stream that she had heard that first day, just at the bottom of the hill behind their house. A fast moving, shallow stream that spilled continuously over a bed of fist-sized rocks. Today though, she'd take that opportunity.

She'd felt it over the last two days. The wolf inside her. It wasn't necessarily clawing to get out yet, but she knew that if she resisted it too long, she'd eventually lose control. After getting dressed and going downstairs, she spoke with her mom about it.

"If that's the case," Abby said, "then it would probably be best to let it happen when you know it's safe, get it out of your system so that it doesn't happen when you can't control it."

"You think I should try to change?" Clarke asked.

"If it reduces the risk of someone catching you, then yes."

Clarke told her mom that she'd think about it, and Abby kissed her forehead and headed out. It was her first day of work as the town's doctor. She wasn't the only doctor, but there was only the one community clinic. A small, single-story brick building on the edge of town. The town of TonDC itself was about a twenty minute drive west of there new home, with a population of just under 3,000 people. The town actually had a town square, with picnic benches and a gazebo in one corner. There was a church on one side, across from it the town hall. Quaint little storefronts lined the other two sides of the square, with flower shops, and cafes, and bookstores.

She walked into town on her lunch break and entered a small cafe off Main Street. There were a few people in there, sitting at table in front of the large plate glass windows.

"Well hello there, dear." An older, if perhaps not elderly woman behind the counter greeted her. "Never seen you in here before."

Abby smiled to return her greeting. "No you haven't." She said. "We just moved to the area, up off Route 9."

"Oh lovely." The woman replied. "What can I get for you?"

"Can I just get a French Vanilla Roast, please." Abby said.

"I'd also recommend one of Hannah's Cinnamon Raisin Twisty Rolls." A male voice spoke up behind her. Abby turned to see a man only slightly taller than herself with medium-length dark hair. He also wore a black uniform with a badge over his left chest pocket.

"Sure, why not." Abby said, turning back to the woman, who she suspected was Hannah. Hannah gave her a smile and nodded.

"You won't regret it." The man said with a smile. "I'm Marcus Kane."

Abby accepted his hand in her own when he extended it to shake. "Abby Griffin," she introduced herself. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine."

Abby paid for her coffee and cinnamon roll, and stepped aside to wait for her order. Marcus placed his order, and by the time he had paid, Abby had received hers.

"So what brings you to our leafy little hamlet?" Marcus asked.

"Well, I recently decided to leave the big city." Abby said. "Tired of treating gunshot wounds and gang-related stabbings." It wasn't the truth, but it was certainly going to be a perk of leaving the city, she told herself.

"You're a doctor then?" Marcus said.

Abby nodded. "I am. I started today, just down the road at TonDC Medical Center."

"Very nice." Marcus said. "Well, I can assure you we have no gang-related activity in TonDC."

She nodded, indicating his uniform. "I guess you make sure of that." She said.

"Sheriff." Hannah called out, placing his order on the counter. He paused before gathering his order.

"That's my job." He went back to grab his coffee and a cinnamon roll of his own. "It's been a pleasure, Abby. I'll see you around."

"I'm sure you will." Abby replied.

She finished her cinnamon roll, and then took her coffee for a brief walk around the square. She found the 'small town' feeling of the community rather endearing, and wondered why it took the death of her husband, and her daughter being turned into a werewolf for her to decide to make this move. After finishing her coffee, she tossed the cup in a waste bin on the street corner, and walked back to her clinic to finish off the rest of her first day of work.

After her mom left, Clarke thought hard about what her mom had said. She wasn't sure though whether she was ready to purposely turn herself into a wolf. She was barely able to regain control of herself last time, and she hadn't turned since. Her mom was right though, she could feel the strength of the wolf growing inside her.

Maybe she wasn't ready to turn yet, but she did feel the 'call of the wild' so to speak. Her desire to run through the woods was too strong to ignore any longer. She went downstairs from the first floor, which led the basement. Half the basement was an unfinished storage room with concrete walls and floor. The other half was finished, but unfurnished with wood paneled walls and plush carpet covering the floor, there was also a full bathroom and a kitchenette. About half of one wall, the side looking out down the hill behind the house, was full height glass.

Clarke went out through the sliding glass door, and down the hill. There was a faint trail, the one she'd used the first time she'd explored the woods, and she followed the familiar path down to the stream. She crouched down, smelling the water and could tell by the scent alone that it was clean enough to drink. She couldn't believe how isolated they were out here. She figured if she had to be a werewolf, this was a hell of a place to do it. Her mom had picked the perfect place.

With a step and a hop she easily clear the six feet, up the rise on the other side of the creek. Without another thought, her feet carried her gracefully over the uneven ground. Trees flew by in a blur. She caught a new scent in the air, and cut hard to her right, following it. Before she knew it, there was a burst of noise from the bushes just in front of her. She leapt over them without thinking about it, and found herself running right in the middle of a heard of deer. The poor animals were probably terrified, but Clarke found it exhilarating.

She came to a stop at the top of the next rise, looking back over her shoulder she could barely make out the edge of the roof of her house. 'Holy crap.' She thought. How long had she been running? The noise of the deer that crashed on past her, faded off into the distance, though she could still hear them if she tried listening harder than her normal human hearing allowed. She wondered briefly what would have happened to those deer if she had been in her wolf form.

"I probably wouldn't be so hungry." She muttered to herself. She shook her head, silently scolding herself. 'That's just the wolf talking.' She thought.

She turned to head back home, and was shocked to see a woman standing there behind her. The woman stood, frozen in a half crouch, unsure if she should advance or retreat. Clarke froze as well, for a tense instant her icy blue eyes locked on the other woman's pale green eyes. When the woman held her gaze it stirred something unfamiliar deep in the pit Clarke's stomach. The hair rose up on her arms and the back of her neck. Her pulse hammered in her chest. She widened her stance, and clenched her fists at her side, grinding her teeth. She had no idea what she was doing, but the adrenaline coursing through her body fueled a set of instincts that told her this woman was a threat. Those same instincts also refused to allow her to back down from a direct challenge.

Lexa had been out on patrol, skirting the edges of her territory. Sure it was something she could have deferred to just about anyone else in her pack, but she enjoyed the rare opportunity to get away. Especially in the days leading up to her heat, which she could already feel coming on. This one would be strong and lasting, and it made her memory ache for a time long past, when she actually had a mate to spend her nights with.

All these thoughts running through her head had distracted her. So much so that she was nearly on top of the human before she even realized it. Lexa froze suddenly, luckily she had still been quiet enough that the blonde woman hadn't heard her approach, but then she turned. She was more of a girl than a woman, maybe in her late teens, though Lexa herself was only in her very early twenties. For a brief moment they only stared at each other both too much in shock at actually running into someone this far from anywhere.

Then Lexa caught the scent though. This wasn't an ordinary human woman. The adrenaline pumping through the blonde's system caused her body to begin heavily secreting alpha pheromones, and Lexa realized that by holding the girl's gaze, she had taken it as a direct challenge to her dominance. Lexa hadn't exactly meant to, but then again she was the Alpha of her pack, and this was her territory. She had to act like the Alpha.

In an instant she had covered what had to be nearly twenty feet. Clarke barely had time to react, had it not been for her above average reflexes, the woman would have slammed into at full speed. As it was, Clarke was just able to step to the side. She tried to grab the woman as she went by, but she spun out of Clarke's grip. A hard fist landed on Clarke's jaw, wrenching her head to the side. Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Clarke nearly in shock.

Lexa wasn't sure what had happened, it was like the blonde hadn't expected the blow at all. It confused Lexa since the blonde had been the one to take up a fighting stance in the first place. The blonde's gaze fixed on her again, her blue eyes blazing now. Lexa was caught off guard when the girl lowered her head and bull rushed her, wrapping her arms around Lexa's waist and taking her to the ground. The girl obviously had no formal fight training though, and Lexa easily twisted, spun, and got out of the blonde's hold, rising quickly to her feet.

"Okay, just stop." Lexa said, surprised at how hard she was breathing.

The blonde blinked several times, looking surprised as she stood up straighter and relaxed her fists slightly. Lexa looked the girl up and down. She was obviously werewolf, but also quite obviously, had no idea what she was doing.

"Who are you?" Lexa asked.

Clarke's head was swimming, and her busted lip, where the woman's fist had made contact was already starting to swell. She spat a mouthful of blood into the dirt. She eyed the girl hard, though she didn't feel that initial surge of adrenaline that she had before.

She was unaware that Lexa was intentionally averting her eyes. It was against her nature to submit fully, but at the same time, she didn't want this blonde flying off the rails again.

She asked again. "Who are you? Why did you come into my territory? Why did you challenge me?"

"What?" Clarke replied dumbly. "I don't know what you're talking about. You attacked me."

Lexa rolled her eyes, pursing her lips slightly. She relaxed fully and approached Clarke. She tilted her chin up slightly, showing her throat. It was a subtle show of nonaggression that Clarke understood, even if it was only on an instinctual and subconscious level. Lexa noted that it must have worked when she saw that the blonde also relaxed her stance.

"My name is Lexa." The impressive brunette said. "I'm the Alpha of the pack in this area, and you're in my territory."

"I'm Clarke. Wait, pack?" Clarke repeated. Then it suddenly clicked. "You mean you're... you too?"

Lexa didn't answer as she saw the understanding and embarrassment light over Clarke's features.

"Of course. How'd I not notice?" Clarke muttered. Lexa stood patiently waiting for Clarke to make the necessary connections. "Why did you say that I challenged you though?" Clarke asked.

"Because you did." Replied Lexa. Her voice was even, her face calm and poised. "When you saw me, when we locked eyes, what did you feel?"

Clarke thought about it for a moment. "A... rush of adrenaline, I guess." She said with a shrug.

Lexa nodded. "You saw me as a threat. You're alpha instincts didn't like that, and you released pheromones that told me as much. As the Alpha of this territory, I couldn't very well ignore such a challenge, could I?"

"I guess not." Clarke said, still a bit confused. "But I'm not an alpha, I don't even have a pack."

Lexa's stoic face twitched at the corner of her pink lips, teasing a smile that quickly disappeared.

"You do not need to lead a pack to be an alpha, just as I do lead a pack but am not an alpha." Lexa explained.

None of that made sense to Clarke. "But I thought you said you were an alpha?" Clarke asked.

Lexa sighed. "I'm the Alpha, but physiologically speaking, I'm an omega."

"Oh..." Clarke said. "Nope. You've lost me."

Lexa shook her head in disbelief. She wondered at how it was that Clarke knew so little about herself. Then a thought hit her.

"How long have you been a werewolf?" Lexa asked. The bluntness of the question took Clarke back a bit, as she hadn't used that word out loud since that first morning after her initial change.

"I-I was bitten about a month ago." Clarke said. "I-it's been... twenty-three days since my first... change."

"And you haven't changed since?" Lexa asked. It was her turn to be shocked. No one from her pack had turned anyone new in years, and she should have heard about any strays roaming through her territory.

Clarke shook her head. Lexa pursed her lips again, giving Clarke a hard glare. Again, Clarke felt her pulse quicken. She realized that Lexa was right. Holding direct eye contact caused her pulse to race and made her feel threatened. Of course there was another reason her pulse raced as she stared into those emerald green eyes, but Clarke immediately pushed that thought out of her mind.

"Clarke, if you go more than a month without changing, the change will occur whether you want it to or not." Lexa said sternly.

Clarke nodded. "That's what I figured. It's why we moved way out here. I wasn't going to let it get that far, I just... I wasn't sure I was ready. I barely regained control of myself after that first change."

"That's the way the first change is." Lexa explained. "The next time you change, and every change after that, you will retain your self-control, and almost all of you mental faculties as a wolf. It's also far less painful after the first time."

"What do you mean, 'almost'?" Clarke asked.

Lexa hesitated to answer, but only briefly. "Some instincts are stronger when you're in wolf form. The instinct to hunt for example. Fight or flight. Base instincts like those are more powerful, but even they can be controlled with the proper focus and training." Lexa refrained from mentioning the instinct to mate. She figured Clarke shouldn't need to worry about that yet. "The most important thing when changing though," Lexa continued, "is not to fight it. Remember Clarke, the change is something you let happen, not something you make happen."

Clarke was silent, nodding to herself after a moment. She moved over to a large rock and took a seat. She was still nervous about changing, and a part of her desperately wanted to ask Lexa for her help. There was no one else who could train her to be a werewolf, but she didn't know how werewolves would even go about these things.

"How many of us are there?" Clarke asked after awhile. Again there was that little twitch at the corner of Lexa's pink lips.

"More than you'd think." She said obliquely, as she looked out over the woods and hills. Her gaze turned to Clarke briefly. She noted that Clarke averted her eyes. Now they were both being careful not to inadvertently challenge the other. Not to mention that every time she looked into those deep sapphire pools, she found it just a bit harder to look away.

"My pack has eight members." Lexa said. "The next closest pack is the Azgeda pack, to the north. I believe they have around a dozen members. They control a larger territory though." Lexa's face turned stony. "They are vicious. Animals." The last word Lexa nearly spat out as a curse, but her face quickly became neutral again. "We're the only two packs, in this state."

"Are there packs in every state then?" Clarke asked. Lexa nodded, squatting on her heels.

"Most states." She said. "There are twelve packs in the upper northeast that have formed a sort of coalition. An alliance to maintain the peace."

'Peace?' Clarke thought. A lot of help their peace did her and her father.

"What about the wolf that attacked me?" Clarke asked, making only a passable attempt at not sounding offensive.

Lexa was silent for a moment. "That is troubling, Clarke." She said. "We have very strict laws about attacking humans. We will find the wolf that attacked you. You have my word."

The sun was beginning to drop behind the mountains now, and both Clarke and Lexa agreed that it was about time to head to their respective homes. Clarke stood, and extended her hand.

"Sorry for the, uh, misunderstanding earlier." She said. Lexa took her hand, or rather clasped Clarke's forearm, the corner of her mouth curling in the closest thing Clarke had seen to a full smile so far.

"I'm glad I didn't kill you." Lexa said.

Clarke gave a sharp laugh, a reaction that visibly surprised the Alpha. "Me too." Clarke said. Lexa turned, but before she could go Clarke spoke again.

"Hey Lexa." Lexa turned back. "How can I know where the edge of your territory is?" Clarke asked. "So that I don't make the same mistake again." With that same little half smile, Lexa reached up and rubbed her fingers over the pulse of her throat. She stepped over to Clarke and held her hand up. Clarke looked at her briefly, confused.

"Smell." Lexa instructed. Clarke hesitantly leaned forward. She inhaled deeply and was shocked at how her body responded. Lexa's scent was earthy and smoky and sweet and musky all at the same time. It made Clarke's head spin worse than that rock-solid punch to the face. A pang of intense arousal hit Clarke out of nowhere and the heat rose to her cheeks. She licked her suddenly dry lips, opening her eyes, not even realizing she'd closed them.

"Oh." Her voice cracked when she finally spoke.

When Clarke's eyes finally fluttered open, blinking several times. Lexa found herself staring into those bottomless blue orbs, watching as they were swallowed by the black of her quickly dilating pupils. She saw the flush rise in Clarke's cheeks. She could smell the subtle yet distinct change in Clarke's own scent. She was in no way prepared for that kind of reaction. She swallowed at the prompting from the sudden nervous lump in her throat.

"That scent is marked around the perimeter of my territory." Lexa said. Her voice sounded a bit deeper and a little huskier even in her own ears.

Clarke just nodded. "Okay." She said. With that Lexa turned and disappeared moments after she had walked off into the woods.

For several moments Clarke just stood there staring in the general direction Lexa had wandered off in. She shook her head, trying to clear the fog.

'Woah.' She thought. There was still so much she didn't no about being part wolf. She turned back in the direction she came, heading back to her house. She reached the line of Lexa's territory and the Alpha's scent was so obvious she couldn't figure out how she hadn't noticed it earlier that day. She actually found herself pausing there, inhaling the air deeply. She realized that Lexa's scent was actually marked on trees and rocks, spaced roughly every fifty yards or so, at the line of her territory's perimeter. Clarke also realized there were other scents there also. The scents from other wolves, each was unique, but each carried similar notes of wood and soil. Clarke guessed that the Alpha didn't always have to go on runs to mark her territory, and instead probably had other pack members go on the runs for her most of the time.

It was dark before Clarke reached her house again, entering through the basement door, just as she had left.

"There you are." Abby said as her daughter came up the stairs.

"Hi, mom." Clarke said. "Sorry I'm back so late. I ended up going further than I thought I did."

"Did you... you know?" Clarke knew what she was asking, and since her talk with Lexa, she was also far more comfortable speaking about it now.

"Change?" Clarke said, finishing her mom's question. She shook her head at her mom's raised eyebrows. "No, not today, but I will. You were right. I need to get used to doing it on my terms, so that I can control myself when I have to, or when for whatever reason I can't change."

Abby nodded.

"So how was work?" Clarke asked. She listened as Abby talked about how calm and slow her day was. Working in TonDC was so different from working in Arkadia. Clarke could tell though, despite her mom's tone, that she enjoyed it. She described the other doctor, a man named Nyko who stood over six feet tall and had a huge black beard. She described the little cafe she went to for lunch, and she described the sheriff she had met there too.

Clarke simply listened mostly while she shoveled down four large helpings of lasagna. She would need it, she thought, if she she was going to change tomorrow.

"Geez, Clarke." Abby said. "Do you even taste your food anymore?"

"Yes." Clarke replied. "And it was delicious." She smiled. She leaned over, giving her mom a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, mom."

Up in her room, Clarke had planned on going straight to bed. Instead, though, she found herself in her pajamas, sitting cross-legged on her bed, with her large sketchbook in her lap. She looked out her floor to ceiling windows, but with the lights on in her room, couldn't even differentiate the mountains from the night sky. 'So much for my inspiration.' She thought.

If visual inspiration failed her, her next step was always music. Grabbing her phone, she opened up her 'art' playlist. She hit play and turned the volume up, tossing her phone onto the bed next to her. Sometimes she preferred using headphones, if she needed to block out the distractions of the world around her, but she didn't feel like bothering with them tonight.

She let her eyes close briefly letting the music fuel whatever inspiration decided to strike her. It came to her in the form of a familiar face. A face with brilliant green eyes, a twitch at the corner of soft, pink lips. At least Clarke imagined them as soft. She let that image fill her mind's eye. The challenge of capturing the sparkle in those eyes, the imagined softness in those lips, that challenge was part of the reason she loved art, and she faced that challenge head on.

Her pencil was nearly a blur scratching over the surface of her page. Her eyes nearly crossing as she entered her 'zone.' Her level of concentration so great it bordered on a hypnotic trance. She became so focused, her mind went nearly completely blank. These brief moments of inspiration were the only moments she had felt completely at peace since the passing of her father.

She held onto that feeling for as long as it would last. By the time it faded, she had six fully completed sketches of Lexa's beautiful face, and she could barely keep her eyes open. She tossed the sketchbook to the side, by her feet and crawled up to wrap her arms tightly around her pillow. Her sleep fogged brain conjured up more and more images of Lexa, even against her will. The music still playing in the background lulled her slowly to sleep, sweeping her away into Lexa-filled dreams.

When Clarke woke up to the bright morning light filling her room, her head was much clearer. She took another look at her sketches, and as always being her toughest critic, she found that the ones that she had thought looked the best late last night, really needed some work, and the ones that she had thought needed some work last night, were nearly worthy of ripping out of her sketchbook and tossing in the trash. She had long ago made it a policy to never rip anything out though. Every drawing she did, she figured could teach her something. It was a policy that she had yet to implement to full success though.

She went downstairs that morning, still wearing the tank top and sweats that she had slept in. Her mom was already headed out the door, and Clarke barely caught her in time to get a 'goodbye, sweetie,' before she left for the day.

With her mom gone, Clarke went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She grabbed a packet of sausage, and a carton of eggs. The sausage was the ground up kind, and she opened it and squeezed it out of the plastic package into a large sauce pan, and began browning the meat. She cracked eight eggs into a large metal bowl and whisked them, added a bit of milk and then whisked them some more before pouring them into a large frying pan. While the eggs and sausage cooked, she chopped up a whole green pepper, and a large piece of onion. She used a spatula to keep the eggs moving so they wouldn't stick to the pan, and once they were properly scrambled and cooked, she tossed them into the pot with the sausage. She mixed them together, adding in the green pepper and the onion. Lastly she topped off her breakfast with plenty of salt and pepper and a generous amount of hot sauce. Against everything her mom had taught her, she ate directly from the pot, not even bothering to take a seat at the counter. She stood in the kitchen, looking out the window over the hills, as she practically inhaled her food. 'You weren't raised by wolves.' Her mom's voice echoed in her head. She nearly laughed out loud at the irony of what her mom used to tell her.

With her appetite sated, Clarke did a cursory cleanup job, then returned quickly to her room. Her mind was racing, and her nerves were tightly wound. She paced around her room briefly as she considered whether or not she really wanted to do this.

Lexa's voice echoed in her mind. 'Remember Clarke, the change is something you let happen, not something you make happen.' She nodded to herself, making up her mind. She went over and opened the sliding glass door to the balcony. She figured she could have gone down to the basement again, but for some reason she felt safer doing it in her own room. Hesitating for one last brief moment, she steeled herself, grabbed the hem of her tank top and peeled it off over her head. Then she shucked off her sweats and kicked them away, standing there naked for a moment, basking in the sunlight that washed into her room.

Clarke took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She relaxed completely, reached deep down to where she felt the wolf within her resided, and figuratively speaking, opened the door for it. For a single breath of time it felt as if nothing was happening. Then the first lancing pain struck. It caught Clarke off guard, but wasn't as bad as she remembered it being. She sank down to her hands and knees on the plush carpet, and let the change fully overtake her.

There was a brief moment during the change where it felt like she had blacked out again, because the next thing she knew she was on the floor, her vision slightly distorted, the coloring of everything was a bit off. Her heart was racing, but she could feel the energy, the strength just beneath the surface of her skin. She turned her head towards the open door, stepping cautiously out onto the patio. She sniffed the air and listened intently for several beats, but there was no sign of anyone being around to see her. She felt the breeze as it caressed her all over, lightly tousling her silky fur coat.

She surprised herself, when instead of descending the way she had planned; over the railing, onto the roof, and down to the ground towards the front of the house. Instead, in a single bound, she leapt over the railing in the opposite direction. For a brief moment she was soaring through the air, before landing at a full run, down the hill towards the stream. She cleared the stream without even thinking about it. If she thought running through the woods in her human form had been exhilarating, she had no idea what this feeling was. There were so many scents and so many noises. She moved with so much grace and speed and agility. Before she knew it she was at the line of Lexa's territory. She skidded to an abrupt stop just short of crossing that invisible line, padding over to a particular tree, that seemed to radiate with Lexa's scent. Clarke closed her eyes inhaling deeply, a shiver coursing down her spine. Curious to see how far Lexa's territory extended, she decided on a whim to follow the perimeter. If that meant a whole day of being awash in Lexa's scent, all the better.

She followed the perimeter of Lexa's territory to the west for a ways. Clarke wasn't sure how many miles. Sometimes she moved at a casual trot, other times at a full sprint. She didn't keep track of how long she was going or the distance she covered, she was just enjoying the freedom she felt. She'd thought so many awful things about the monster that had killed her father, and she felt a growing amount of guilt at how much she was beginning to enjoy being one of them.

Lexa leaned back in her chair, turning from her desk to gaze out the window over the south-east corner of her territory. It was just a coincidence that from her office window she could just happen to look out in the direction that Clarke lived, but once she made that realization, it was a thought that continuously tickled the back of her mind. It was something that bothered her immensely. To say that Clarke represented a big problem was putting it mildly. It meant that there was a stray, an errant mutt that had made his existence known to humans. Attacked humans. The laws were clear. Attacking humans was only permitted in order to keep the existence of werewolves a secret. If it was discovered by the coalition that there was a rogue mutt so close to her territory, Lexa would be held accountable. She had to track it down and destroy it. She'd have to talk to Clarke to get more information about where the attack happened.

She buried the gentle flutter she felt in the pit of her stomach at the thought of Clarke before her mind even had a chance to register it. She was going to see Clarke as the Alpha of her pack, nothing more. She couldn't let the attraction she felt for the blonde cloud her judgement. She couldn't linger on the way Clarke had reacted when she had inhaled Lexa's omega pheromones.

Lexa had risen to her feet and moved around her desk, but gave pause at the door to her office. She carefully considered how close she was to going into heat. It was inconvenient timing, to say the least. On top of everything else she had to deal with, her heat would raise those reoccurring suspicions and rumors. She'd been lucky so far, no capable alpha's had come along to challenge her leadership, but she knew that even members of her own pack were beginning to grow impatient. She'd heard the murmurs and whispers, and she knew her time to find another mate was running out. Soon her pack would have no choice but to overthrow her leadership. Either that or risk letting another pack come in and take over their territory.

Lexa took a deep breath, releasing it slowly and calmly through her nose as she blocked out the rising thoughts and memories of her past mate. She blinked several times, steeled herself, and headed downstairs.

"Nyko already leave for work?" Lexa asked.

Lincoln sat at the heavy wooden kitchen table, nodding with his mouth full of eggs and bacon.

"Where's everyone else?" She waited patiently, as Lincoln finished chewing and swallowed.

"Gustus and Indra are sparring out back," He said. "Echo is on patrol. What's happening?" He asked.

"Gather Gustus and Indra, meet me in the den. I'll tell you all at one time." Lexa turned and left.

The expected murmur of discontent sizzled through the room like a rising current of static electricity. They all felt the need to share their opinions on the stray mutt and the attack on the humans. Lexa lifted her hand, silencing the members of her pack.

"There's nothing we can do about the attack now." Lexa said. "All we can do is track down this stray, and kill it."

"And what of this... Clarke?" Indra asked.

"Let me worry about Clarke." Lexa said.

"Commander," Gustus spoke up, taking half a step forward. "She has no pack. She has no territory. What makes her any different from this mutt we hunt down?"

"She deserves a chance to learn the rules and laws of our kind before we render judgement." Lexa said. Gustus looked from Lexa to Indra, and then back to Lexa. Lexa lowered her chin, looking at Gustus from under her stern brow. "No one is to move against Clarke without my permission. Is that clear?"

Gustus nodded, retreating his half step. Lexa relaxed and looked to Lincoln and Indra, to make sure they understood as well. They both nodded in confirmation.

"Good." Lexa said. "Lincoln, go bring in Echo, inform her of what happened along the way. Indra, Gustus, prepare for the hunt." This time she didn't wait for any replies of confirmation, she simply turned and left the room.

She stepped out into the near-blinding sunlight of late morning. She climbed into her jeep, and spun her tires as she pulled out of the gravel driveway. The elegant manor-style home she shared with five other members of her pack, was set back secluded in the woods, a long way from any of the main roads.

Lexa knew that there was an empty house just a few miles up Route 9, and Clarke had mentioned that she had just moved to the area. Judging by the direction she had headed off in the other day, Lexa figured that had to be it.

She didn't know what exactly she was doing. She told herself that this was the most prudent course of action. After all, it wasn't like she had Clarke's number or anything, and she couldn't just wander out into the woods and pace back and forth at the edge of her territory waiting to see if Clarke just happened to show up again. Is it odd to just show up at someone's house who you just met? She asked herself. She figured it didn't matter though. What she need to talk to Clarke about was important, and this was the best way to find her to speak with her.

Luckily for Lexa, the 'For Sale' sign hadn't been removed yet at the corner of the driveway. Otherwise there would have been no way that Lexa would have remembered which house along Route 9 had actually been the one Clarke had moved into. Lexa did note however, the bold 'SOLD' placard that had been added to the sign, reassuring Lexa that she was indeed in the right place. She drove slowly down the driveway, pulling around in the little turnabout, to face her jeep back up the hill. She got out after shutting off the engine, admiring the modern looking structure. It was a beautiful home, if you liked that sort of style. Lexa had personally always gone for the more classical architecture, but she could appreciate the beauty of the clean lines and simple angles.

Lexa shook her head clear of her current stream of thought. She had only a cursory knowledge of architecture anyways, and she wasn't here to take note of the design integrity of Clarke's home. She took a deep breath as she approached the front door. This was definitely the right place. Even from outside, Lexa could catch notes of Clarke's scent. She knocked on the front door, waited for several moments, and then knocked again. She looked around, noting that there were no cars in the driveway. 'Of course no one is home.' She thought. 'This was a stupid idea.' She deliberated for a moment between getting back in her jeep and driving back home, or waiting around for Clarke to get back. She was already walking back towards her jeep though, her hand reaching for the door handle, when something caught her attention. She froze, turning around slowly.

Standing there at the corner of the house, near the edge of the driveway, was quite possibly the most beautiful animal Lexa had ever seen. Of course, she didn't let those those thoughts enter her mind, instead swallowing her suddenly restless nerves. She kept her gaze averted eyes cast down at the ground, and she slowly sank into a crouch, her fingertips resting on the concrete surface of the driveway.

"Clarke." She said simply, softly, in a greeting full of deep respect. A small part of her mind was wondering at what the hell she was doing. She hadn't even given it a thought before she submitted, it had almost been reflex. 'This is her territory though,' her mind reasoned. 'This is her home.'

Clarke had approached slowly. Her claws clicked on the driveway as she approached. Her thick wheat-colored coat shimmered in the sunlight like white gold. Those deep blue eyes though, which Lexa dared not give more than a cursory glance, were the same deep blue eyes that Lexa remembered.

Lexa raised her right hand up, holding it out to Clarke, with the palm face down. Her mind still scolding her. It was like she had no control over her body's reaction. It was the most outright form of submission she could have displayed, short of rolling onto her back and offering her throat. Lexa remembered that Clarke had never gone through such a ritual before, but it didn't matter. As Lexa soon discovered, Clarke's wolf-instinct guided her. She reached out, her massive jaws opening them and accepting Lexa's offered hand. They held on Lexa's hand for only a moment, so gently that Lexa barely even felt the sharpness of Clarke's teeth, then she was gone.

Lexa raised her head in time to watch in amazement as Clarke leapt from the driveway, a good ten or twelve feet into the air. Her claws caught onto the tacky grip of the shingles on the roof of the first floor, over the front door. From there she cleared a glass railing onto a second floor balcony, and slipped into an open sliding glass door that Lexa hadn't noticed before. She heard the growls, the crunching of bone, and then the moans and groans. Lexa walked back to the front door, reaching it at the same time as Clarke. Her face was flushed and her blonde hair had a tussled look, as if she'd just gotten out of bed. Lexa shot that line of thought down immediately.

"Lexa." Clarke said, opening the door with a bit of a huff. "This is a surprise."

"Yeah, sorry to drop by unannounced like this, but I didn't have a number to reach you at to call ahead or anything."

"No, it's fine." Clarke replied. "Come in." Clarke stepped back out of the way and let Lexa in.

"Your home is lovely." Lexa said.

"Thanks." Said Clarke, "though I didn't really have anything to do with that. My mom picked it. I didn't even see it until the day we moved in" She thought she saw Lexa's jaw clench at that for some reason, but couldn't be sure.

That was a whole other complication that Lexa couldn't bother with right now. It had been nagging at Lexa since yesterday. Clarke had mentioned moving this far from the city because she'd been changed into a werewolf. Now she just confirmed that her mother moved with her. Lexa guessed that it was safe to assume that Clarke's mom knew her secret.

Lexa let out a heavy breath.

"Lexa, why are you here?" Clarke said, growing concern evident in her voice, as she took a step closer. Lexa's train of thought completely derailed, and her steady pulse stutter-stepped when Clarke said her name in that tone

Lexa sighed again. "I'm sorry, Clarke." She said. "I need to ask you some questions."

"Okay..." Clarke said hesitantly.

"About the attack... when you were turned." Lexa clarified.

"Oh." Clarke responded softly.

Lexa sat at the end of the couch. Clarke sat in a chair at the end of the coffee table, most of the time staring out the full height glass windows. She went through the whole series of events. Her voice broke several times and her deep blue eyes glistened wetly and Lexa felt an inexplicable rage well up inside her. She swore to herself that when she got her hands on that mutt, she was going to make him suffer for what he'd done.

She reached out without thinking about it, resting her hand on top of Clarke's

"I'll find him Clarke." She said. "I swear it."

Clarke glanced up to meet Lexa's gaze. Between the gesture, her words, and the tone of her voice, it was the most emotion Clarke had seen other girl let herself show. Even though Lexa's tone may have been tender, her emerald green eyes were alight with an angry glint, that caused a slight shiver to traverse Clarke's spine.

Clarke realized as she held Lexa's gaze a moment longer than necessary, that that initial threat response wasn't there, but another response that still made her pulse race, was.

Clarke swallowed nervously after several moments of letting the tension fill the room.

"Can I ask you something, Lexa?" Clarke said.

"Of course."

"How did you become a werewolf?" Clarke asked. Lexa was a bit surprised, though she didn't think she let it show. She'd never been asked that question before.

"I, uh... I was born this way, Clarke." She said. Clarke barely heard her response though. She was far too focused on the minute little facial expressions Lexa made. The subtle clenching of her jaw, the way her jade eyes flicked up to meet hers, the twitch at the corner of her lips. Clarke wondered if Lexa had any idea what it did to her every time Lexa said her name. The way her tongue clicked over the 'c' and the 'k' and flowed smoothly over the vowel in between.

After saying it out loud, Lexa was struck by an unexpected feeling of guilt. Up until a month ago, Clarke had been just another unsuspecting human, with no idea that werewolves even existed. She'd had her own life, plans probably, maybe a career picked out. Lexa wondered what the blonde's plans were now.

Lexa opened her mouth to ask, but her question was cut off at her lips by what sounded like an air horn coming from outside. Both girls turned in the direction of the front door. Clarke's face scrunched slightly in confusion.

"What is it, Clarke?" Lexa asked.

"I'm not sure." Clarke replied, standing and heading outside. Lexa followed instinctively, just in case whatever, or whoever it was ended up somehow being a threat to Clarke.

Outside a large box truck, with an obnoxiously bright rental company's logo on the side, was slowly making its way down the incline of Clarke's driveway.

Clarke kept her confused gaze fixed on the truck, up until it came to a complete stop and a messy-haired guy, with dark curls and a semi-crooked smile hopped out of the driver's side.

"How's it goin, Princess?" He asked.

Clarke at once rushed over and wrapped him in a tight hug. Lexa felt herself tense for some reason, almost more than she would've if he'd actually been a threat. A short brunette, with her dark hair in a ponytail, and a taller light-skinned black girl climbed consecutively down from the passenger seat.

"Oh my god." Clarke said, giving each of the girls a hug as well. "What are you guys doing here?" She said, looking from one to the other to the other, for whichever one would give her an explanation first.

"Moving." The young man said with shrug. Again, Clarke's gaze flicked between the three of them.

"What my brother is trying to say," the shorter brunette interjected, "is that when he finished training at the academy, he got a list of departments with spots available and guess what little town, in the middle of bum-fuck-nowhere, he found on that list? Little ole TonDC."

"Yeah," said the taller girl, "and since every small town needs a quality mechanic, I decided to make some calls." She stood with her hands buried in her back pockets, a proud look on her face. "Looks like I'll be opening up my second location in a new franchise of garages."

"That's awesome, Raven." Clarke said. While silently watching the exchange, Lexa would've felt really awkward if it weren't for the fact that she had distracted herself by noticing that every time Clarke laughed, or smiled really wide, her nose had a way of scrunching up in the most adorable way.

"So who's your friend?" The shorter girl asked. Realization struck Clarke.

"Oh yeah!" She said excitedly. She reached back, grasping Lexa's hand to pull her forward so they stood next to each other. Lexa didn't know if it was on purpose, or just some reflex, but she didn't protest when she felt Clarke's fingers interlace with her own. "Everyone, this is Lexa." She introduced. "Lexa, this is Bellamy, his sister, Octavia, and Raven."

Even as she shook hands with the three of them, her left hand was still held in Clarke's.

"See." Octavia said, giving Clarke a chuck on the shoulder. "And you were afraid you wouldn't make any friends." Clarke ducked her head a bit shyly for some reason, tucking a stray bit of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Hey," she said suddenly, "would you guys like to come in?" She offered.

"We can't" Bellamy said, even though he sounded disappointed. "We've got a lot of unpacking to do."

"Oh come on, Bell" Octavia said.

"Yeah, don't be a buzzkill, Blake." Raven chimed in.

Bellamy looked over to Raven. "You remember that we've got to meet the other truck too, right? Unless you want Wick to stark unpacking and arranging all your tools for you in the new shop."

A mortified look crossed Raven's face. "Oh god no. Sorry Clarkey, but we gots to go."

"Wick? Really?" Clarke asked, unable to contain her cheeky grin. "How'd you rope him into that?"

Raven shrugged. "I told him that if he didn't help me move my shit, I'd find someone else to run the shop back in Arkadia."

"You're letting him run the Arkadia garage?" Clarke nearly choked in disbelief. Again Raven shrugged.

"Yeah. He might be a jackass, but he's a good enough mechanic. Besides who else is gonna handle it for me?" She explained.

It was Clarke's turn to shrug at that. "So where are you guys living?" She asked.

"In town." Bellamy replied.

"Yeah, we found a place almost identical to our old one actually." Said Octavia. "Duplex-style. Two apartments, directly over the garage Raven will be running."

"Lucky you." Clarke grinned, looking at Octavia and Bellamy.

Bellamy smiled. "Hey, I don't think I could fall asleep anymore, if I couldn't listen to the soothing sounds of an impact wrench going all night."

This time Raven gave Bellamy a hard punch on the shoulder, "You love it." She said, before finally reminding them that it was time they get going. The three of them climbed back into the truck, but not before Clarke gave them all hugs again, finally releasing Lexa's hand to do so. They all shook Lexa's hand as well, then waved goodbye as the large truck carefully back up the driveway and drove off.

Lexa and Clarke were left standing in the driveway, Clarke still grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh my god, that was so crazy." She said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Lexa gave her a small smile. "Your friends seem nice." She said.

Clarke nodded. "Yeah they are, I can't believe they moved all the way out here too."

"Do they know?" Lexa asked. Clarke paused looking at her puzzled for a beat.

"Oh god no." She said as she realized what Lexa was talking about. "The werewolf thing? Absolutely not."

Lexa felt herself relax, exhaling slightly. She found it troubling that she didn't ask because she was concerned about them revealing to the world the existence of werewolves, but because she was holding onto the hope that that would be a part of Clarke that she would know that they wouldn't. Lexa quickly shook her head, clearing her mind of those thoughts. Now she was just being ridiculous.

"So where were we?" Clarke asked.

"What?" Lexa said dumbly.

"Inside, before we were interrupted." She said. "We were having a pretty serious conversation. Was there anything else you needed to talk about? Or anything else you needed to know?"

"I don't think so." Lexa said. "Let me give you my number, incase you remember anything else."

"Okay." Clarke replied. "Let me go get my phone, you can come wait inside."

Lexa followed Clarke back in, taking a seat at the bar facing the kitchen, while Clarke ran up to her room. Clarke came back down a moment later, and they exchanged numbers.

"Okay." Lexa said, putting her phone away, knowing she either needed to come up with a reason to stay, or a graceful way to make her exit, before this became a drawn-out awkward thing of a goodbye. Instead she just stood and headed towards the door. Clarke followed, and held the door open watching as she left. Lexa turned just as she crossed the threshold.

"You know," she said. "I was born this way, like I said, but I know you weren't, and I know this is all new for you, so if you have any... werewolf related questions." She said with a slight smile. "Don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks." Replied Clarke. "I'll do that."

Lexa nodded, pausing again before turning to her jeep. Clarke waiting patiently for her to speak.

"You should come over sometime." Lexa said suddenly, quickly backpedaling when she saw the look of surprise on Clarke's face. "I mean, like to meet the others." She tried to explain. "The rest of my pack. There are some things I'd like to show you too. Werewolf things."

"Oh, okay" Clarke said nodding.

"Yeah," Lexa said. "Just call or text, anytime."

"Okay." Clarke repeated.

"Bye, Clarke."

"See you, Lexa."

Clarke watched until Lexa was in her jeep, pulled out of the driveway, and had driven out of sight, before she closed the door. She spun around with her back to it tilted her head back and let out a tremendous sigh. 'Why does that girl get to me so bad?' She asked herself, unaware that as she drove, Lexa was asking herself the same exact thing.


	2. Chapter 2

Lexa drove a bit distractedly, and probably far too fast for the winding rural road on her way back to her pack's home. The entire time she struggled to keep her mind focused on what needed to be done. She had a location now to begin their search for the rogue wolf, and she had promised Clarke she would find him. So why couldn't she keep her mind on the goals ahead?

Her first instinct was to blame her oncoming heat, looming imminently in the days ahead. 'One day... two maybe...?' She wasn't sure. The truth was, when it came to Clarke and the amount of distraction she felt though, she wasn't sure anymore if her heat was more of a cause or an effect.

She made it back to her house in near record time, not slowing down until she turned off the main road. She left the pavement behind as she headed down the gravel service road, and then turned again, heading deeper into the woods as she made her way down the long driveway.

Pulling to a gentle stop in front of her house, Lexa gave pause, tilting her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes for a moment to try and focus on quieting her mind. It took several minutes, but she finally managed to compose herself before heading inside.

She found the four other members of her pack, Lincoln and Echo were in the kitchen, and followed to where Gustus and Indra were waiting in the den. There was a large table in the middle of the room, which Lexa approached even before addressing anyone. Shuffling several things around, she pulled out a large surveying map, and unrolled it on the table.

She paused then, regarding her pack to make sure she had their undivided attention before finally speaking.

"According to Clarke, the attack happened here." She said, placing a finger on the map. "Mt. Weather Regional Park. Her, her father and two family friends were camping there. They had planned to make a long weekend out of it, but they were attacked on the first night. It was last month, May 3rd." She turned to Lincoln. "Lincoln, I want you to reach out to your contacts at the Arkadia Precinct, see if you can get any reports of the attack, also animal control companies, see if there were any other wolf sightings reported during both the month leading up to the attack, and this month after the attack. Call Anya if you have to." Lincoln nodded, and left the room to make some calls.

Lexa paused, taking a breath. Her gaze steady on the map before her. "Maybe we'll get lucky and be able to establish a timeline of movement, or an area that he's sticking close to." Lexa said. "Once we do, it will be up to you two to canvas the area." She told Gustus and Indra. "You can take Echo, we'll get Nyko out of work, and call in Niylah too, if we have to."

Gustus nodded, with little more than a grunt and left the room. Echo gave a brief nod of respect to Lexa and then followed. Indra stayed behind.

Lexa had yet to take her eyes from the maps in front of her. "Speak your mind, Indra."

"Commander..." Indra began, stepping forward. When only silence followed, Lexa finally brought her gaze up to meet Indra's, but by her expression, it appeared Indra was looking for the proper words to use. "Gustus has been... grumbling."

"If Gustus has a problem, he knows to bring it to me himself." Lexa said cooly.

"But he's not." Indra said.

"And that makes you worry?" Lexa said, her brow twitching with consideration as she asked the question. Indra was silent returning Lexa's gaze, knowing that it was not her place to make assumptions, or jump to conclusions.

"Thank you, Indra." Lexa said finally. "I'm sure it's nothing, but I'll keep an eye on Gustus." Indra gave a curt nod and left. Lexa let out a sigh. Gustus had been a part of this pack since before she had been born. Lexa was sure that there was no reason to be suspicious of him, but Indra did have unusually keen insights into people. Maybe she shouldn't disregard Indra's suspicions too quickly.

"Holy crap." Octavia said. "Its like driving into a scene from Gilmore Girls."

They had just passed the medical center and were headed down Main Street, reaching the town square moments later.

"Okay, Rey. Where we headed?" Bellamy asked, more focused on maneuvering the over-sized truck through the small town's streets, than the small town itself.

"Turn right, up here." Raven replied, double checking the route displayed on her phone's GPS. "There." She said, pointing up ahead, as Bellamy made a wide sweeping turn. He gave an apologetic wave to the person in the car coming the opposite way, that had stopped to let him through, then looked up ahead to see where Raven was pointing.

Bellamy eyed the old brick building wearily, trying to look as excited as Raven was. It wasn't easy. The yellow paint was peeling like third degree sunburn, the large letters mounted over the entrance just said, 'GARAGE.' Whatever word had been before that, long since had either been removed or fallen down on its own. At least it was set back off the street a ways, providing room for about six cars to park out front. There was only one garage bay though, and what looked like the entrance for a small office up front. The first moving truck was already parked out front, seemingly taking up as much space as possible, but luckily there was an alleyway next to the garage, that offered just enough room so that Bellamy's truck wasn't blocking the street.

"Hey Bell, nice parking job." Wick said, checking his watch. Bellamy knew, he was mocking him for how long it took him to maneuver the truck backwards into the alley without hitting anything, but Bellamy simply ignored him. Raven didn't have as much self control.

"Yeah, you too, Dick." She said.

"Gee" Wick said. "I'm sorry you guys rented such a large truck. Maybe if you didn't have so much crap, you could have rented smaller trucks. You know you could do the same job with half as many tools, right?" Raven took a step closer, but Octavia stopped her before she could do anything violent.

"Woah, calm down, Reyes. Remember if you kill him, there won't be anyone to run your shop in Arkadia." Octavia said. Raven backed down, but was still shaking her head and grinding her teeth. She muttered something insulting under her breath as she unlocked the door to the front office.

Wick was still standing against his truck, a smug smirk of his face. Octavia turned to him with a withering glare, and he just raised both his hands in a placating gesture. He loved to get under people's skin, but he had heard what Octavia said about the garage in Arkadia as well, and it must have struck something, because he mostly behaved himself for the rest of the day.

Thinking it a better idea to keep Raven and Wick separated, Octavia decided that she and Wick could unload the truck with their personal items, and take them upstairs, while Bellamy helped Raven unload the other truck of all her tools and equipment for the garage.

The entrance to the stairs that led up to the apartments was around the side of the building, ending on the second floor at a small, dark landing. Octavia took her time fishing the keys from her pocket as Wick stood behind her on the stairs, awkwardly gripping a box he'd grabbed from the truck. The box was heavier than he had initially thought, and she was having fun throwing it back in his face. Honestly, she had stalled for less than a whole minute, smirking as he entered behind her muttering something under his breath.

Most of the afternoon was spent like that, until both trucks were empty. Pretty much as soon as they were sure they didn't need him anymore they let Wick leave, and he was only too eager to get out of there too.

"Should we feel bad..." Bellamy started, as he watched Wick's truck pull away and head out of town. Both girls turned and gave him a hard glare. He shook his head. "Never mind."

Raven spent most of the evening in the garage, organizing and arranging her tools, so that they would be just the way she wanted them. Octavia and Bellamy tag-teamed the office area. It really needed some drywall work and repainting, okay and maybe some new flooring, and lighting too. A new window wouldn't hurt either. Bellamy stood in the middle of the office, looking around, scratching his forehead unimpressed.

He got a swat on the arm from the rag that his sister was using to dust. "You wanna help me bro, or not?" She said.

"Right, sorry." He said.

"I know." She said, already knowing what he had been thinking. "Baby steps though, right?"

"Sure." He said, giving his sister half a smile. A couple hours later Raven came in. She was hot and sweaty, and had her sweatshirt tied off around her waist, but she had the biggest smile either Octavia or Bellamy had ever seen on her.

"So guys, what do you think?" She asked.

"It's awesome, Raven." Bellamy said, sounding completely genuine. Not even a hint of his own doubt showed through. Sure the place needed some work, but this was Raven's dream. Who was he to shit on it? "Are either of you hungry?" He asked. "I think I saw a pizza place on the corner."

Both girls agreed eagerly, and pitched in some money. Then they let him know they'd be upstairs unpacking when he got back. Raven locked up the office, and pulled down the overhead door. There was a separate door at the back of the garage, that opened up into the bottom of the stairwell too, which meant Raven didn't need to walk outside and halfway around the building to go upstairs to her apartment.

Bellamy had been right about the pizza place, and the realization that he lived less than a block away made him unreasonably excited. Glancing both ways, he quickly crossed the street and ducked into the shop, a small bell jingling over the door. Looking around, he noticed a few small tables, a counter top with stools facing the windows, and a couple booths against the side wall. A young woman, who looked to be about Bellamy's age came out to the counter from the kitchen. She had light brown hair falling in gentle curls to her shoulders. She smiled when she saw him, wiping her flour covered hands on her apron, before asking what she could get for him.

He ordered three large pizzas, figuring any leftovers would bee eaten for breakfast. He got a pepperoni for himself, sausage for Octavia, and Hawaiian for Raven. He also got two 2-liter bottles of soda, one Diet Coke and one regular. The girl rang up his total, and he paid.

"It'll be about a thirty minute wait." She said. He noticed her name tag said, 'Gina.'

"That's fine." He replied, giving her his most charming smile. She returned it with a pleasant smile of her own, before she turned and headed back to the kitchen. Bellamy waited, pulling out a chair at one of the tables closest the register.

"Here you go." She said after awhile, placing the pizza boxes stacked three-high on the counter next to the register.

"Wow, thirty minutes already?" He said, standing and pushing his chair back in. She smiled, but didn't say anything as she reached into the cooler under the counter and pulled out his two bottles of soda. She double bagged them to make sure the plastic wouldn't rip while he was carrying them.

"Uh, can I get some extra napkins too?" He asked, thinking about it. "I don't know if we'll have our dishes unpacked yet."

"Oh, sure." She said. "So you just move here?" She asked.

"Yup, just up the street." He said. "Above the old garage."

"Oh yeah," She replied. "I had heard someone had finally bought that place."

Bellamy nodded. "Yeah that was my friend, Raven. She moved into the one apartment, my sister and I moved into the other."

"Nice," Gina said. "So I guess I'll be seeing you guys around then."

"Yup, probably pretty often, knowing Raven and pizza."

Gina smiled. "Good to know," she said. "Have a good night."

"You too." Bellamy replied. He carried the bag in one hand, underneath one side of the pizza boxes, and grabbed the other side of the pizza boxes with his other hand. Gina was nice enough to come around the counter and hold the door open for him as he left, and he was really glad that he lived less than a block away.

Clarke woke up, staring at the ceiling, sprawled languidly across her bed. She'd kicked away the blankets, and her sheet was tangled around one leg as the morning sun filled and warmed her room through the full height glass. She was seriously considering getting one of those sleep masks so she wasn't woken up right at sunrise every morning.

She crawled out of bed and walked over to her easel. After Lexa had left yesterday, Clarke had spent most of the afternoon in her room painting, figuring it would help clear her head. It had started as just a landscape, using the view outside her bedroom windows as a direct reference. At some point while she worked though, Lexa had managed to burrow her way back in, and firmly plant herself in Clarke's thoughts. She was struck by an image she recalled from the day they had first met. At one point when she took a seat on that rock, Lexa was looking out over the forest, chin slightly raised, with her hands clasped behind her back. Between her impeccable posture, and the sharp, attractive lines of her profile, she just looked so fucking regal. Clarke worked the semi-transparent portrait into her landscape, layering it almost perfectly overtop. She was very happy with it, even looking at it the next morning.

By the time she padded downstairs that morning, her mom had already left for work. She made herself a large breakfast, as usual, today it was a stack of pancakes. A big stack of pancakes, with a side of sausage links. She was nearly done eating, when she heard her phone going off upstairs. Rushing back up to her room, she reached it just in time, not bothering to check the caller ID before answering.

"Hello." She said.

"Heya, Princess." Raven's voice answered.

"Hey, did you guys get all settled in yesterday?" Clarke asked.

"Not really." Raven replied. "I mean I got the garage set up the way I want it, but everything in my apartment is still in boxes. I think the Blakes did a little better, but not by much. Once all their boxes were upstairs, they really helped me out by getting the front office ready."

"You should thank them." Clarke reminded her, making her way back downstairs, to finish eating as she talked to Raven.

"I was gonna." Raven said defensively. "I'm not a total ass. I'll treat 'em to dinner tonight or something, since Bellamy paid for most of it last night"

Clarke laughed. It wasn't that her friend was necessarily rude. She just got going so fast, and so wrapped up in her own things, that common courtesies sometimes slipped her mind. "The fact that you had all of yesterday and most of last night to think about it, and you haven't yet, should tell you something."

"Shut up, Griffin." Raven said. Clarke laughed again. She could practically hear Raven's eyes rolling.

"So are you like open for business now?" Clarke said, changing the subject as she took a bite of sausage link from her fork.

"Tomorrow." Raven said. "It's Sunday, and I don't think I'll be open on Sundays."

"The benefits of being self-employed." Clarke said.

"Yeah, we'll see how business goes. If I'm busy enough I might work Sundays too. Today though, I just still have to much unpacking to do."

"Right." Clarke nodded.

"So, you coming over tonight?" Raven asked. "We gotta have like a proper housewarming party ya know."

Clarke thought about it briefly. Her mom would be home, and she should be able to convince her mom to let her borrow the car. "Yeah," Clarke said, getting excited. "I'll definitely be there." It had been a long time since she'd really had the chance to hang out with all her friends. Since before her father's death.

"Great. I'll see ya tonight then." Raven said.

"Yeah, see ya." She got off the phone, and quickly finished what little was left of her breakfast, before cleaning up and heading back up to her room to figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her day.

Raven hung up with Clarke, just as she heard the apartment door open across the hall. She hurried to the front door, calling out to Bellamy. He was halfway down the stairs already, but stopped, looking over his shoulder.

"The housewarming party, will it be in your place or mine?" She asked.

"We're having a housewarming party?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Blake." She said with an exaggerated attitude. "Don't worry, maybe you can make some friends at work to invite, since I know you don't have any."

"That's funny." He deadpanned back at her.

She smirked. "Well, I already invited Clarke, so it's up to you and O who you wanna invite."

Bellamy's straight face faltered a bit at the mention of Clarke, and Raven just seemed to smirk harder, obviously feeling rather good about herself. There were times to this day that he regretted ever opening his mouth. He'd made the mistake once of telling Raven that he liked Clarke, back when they were all in middle school. Of course Raven had told Clarke, and things got really awkward. Clarke spoke with him about it, telling him that she really liked him as a friend, but that was it. Eventually the awkwardness faded, but Raven never let him live it down.

Finally, Bellamy just shook his head and continued down the stairs and out the door. "Yeah, alright." He said, waving over his shoulder without looking back.

"Hey wait. So your place or mine?" She yelled after him, but he was already outside and gone.

Bellamy left the apartment and headed towards the square. The police station was behind town hall, on the right side of the street. He wore a pair of Dickies work pants, and a blue button-down shirt, neither of which had been properly ironed. Luckily, it wasn't his official first day, more of an orientation to meet his new boss and partner and get to know the local department's system.

There was a parking lot around the side of the station that was nearly empty, and a single cruiser was parked on the street out front. The front doors were wooden, dark and heavy.

"Hi there." Bellamy said, greeting a slightly overweight woman, with blueish-gray curls. She sat in a small, stuffy reception area behind a large desk with a counter top at standing height. "I was told to report to Sheriff Kane."

"What's your name, darling?" She said, flipping open a notebook on her desk.

"Bellamy Blake." He replied.

"Blake, Blake, Blake... Ah yes, here you are. Please go in. Straight through, his office is at the back." She said, indicating the door to her left.

"Thank you." He said. Bellamy stepped through the door into what he pictured every small town police bullpen looked like. It was just as hot an stuffy as the reception area, despite the constant whir of the A/C units set in the windows along the right side of the room. The desks were set up in pairs, facing each other. Two sets of two on the right side, two sets of two on the left. Between the two sets of desks, on the left hand side was a set of double doors, which Bellamy figured led to the town hall and courthouse.

He continued down the middle of the room, pausing to knock on the door to the only office. He noticed the letters stenciled on the glass just said 'Sheriff,' without a name or anything. Bellamy suspected that made it easier when they were fired or got a new one. The walls of the office where only partial height partitions, with large, smoky glass windows, that didn't even reach all the way to the ceiling.

"Come in." A voice called out from the other side of the door. Bellamy's hand was already on the handle and he entered. The man he presumed to be the Sheriff stood behind the desk, and another officer sat in a chair facing the desk.

"Ah, you must be Office Blake." The sheriff said. "This is Lincoln Woods, you're going to partnered up with him for now."

"Lincoln" Bellamy said, holding out his hand professionally. Lincoln stood, accepting and returning the gesture.

"Nice to meet you." Lincoln said. When he stood he was a good four or five inches taller than Bellamy, solid muscle, with a clean shaven head.

"Great." Kane said. "Lincoln, why don't you give him a brief tour. When you are done, Bellamy would you come back to see me?"

"Yessir." Bellamy said.

"So this is the bullpen, which you've obviously seen already." Lincoln said, as they left the sheriff's office. "Not much more I can show you here." They walked over by the set of desks along the windows, closest to Kane's office. "This'll be your desk though, from now on." He said. "Of course, the desks are grouped by partners, so I'm right across from you here."

"Okay." Bellamy said.

"Next why don't we get you your uniform."

Bellamy nodded, and followed along as Lincoln led him through the set of doors towards the courthouse.

"Through that door there is a set of stairs." Lincoln explained, pointing out the mentioned door as they walked past. "We have our holding cells and our armory down there. I know," He said without prompting. "Having those two so close together didn't really make sense to me either." He smiled, showing perfectly white teeth which contrasted with his bronze skin.

Bellamy smirked, because that was exactly what he had been thinking. Lincoln led Bellamy to another door, this time they went through, finding another open office bullpen. This one appeared to have been renovated more recently, as they had carpet, ceiling tiles, and what looked like a nearly fresh coat of white paint on the walls.

"Hi, Rita." Lincoln said, approaching a woman who had her back turned to them as they entered.

"Well hellooo." She said. "And where might you have been? Why don't I see you more often, sugar?"

"What can I say, someone's gotta be out there catching the bad guys." Lincoln replied.

"What bad guys? This is TonDC. I'm not even sure why we have a police department."

"Because if we didn't have a police department, then I'd never get to see you, now would I?"

"Guess you got a point there." She said. Lincoln smiled and turned her attention to Bellamy.

"Rita, I'd like to introduce you to my knew new partner." Lincoln said.

"Hi there," He said. "Bellamy Blake."

"My my," Rita said with wink. "It's about time the department recruited someone who can compete with this one." Lincoln just rolled his eyes. "What can I do for you sugar?"

"We need to get him fitted up for a uniform." Lincoln said.

"Ohhhh." Rita said. "Now I see how it is. So you're really only comin' to see me 'cause you need somethin' is that it? Is that what our relationship has been reduced to."

"Aw, come on now Rita, don't be like that." Lincoln said. "You know you're my favorite."

"Uh-huh, sure." She said, turning back to Bellamy. "What size shirt are you?"

"Medium." He said, unable to wipe the little half-smile he'd had since the conversation had first started.

"Okay." She said, jotting an 'M' down on a post-it note. "And pants? Waist and length?"

Bellamy shrugged. "Thirty-two for both I guess." She wrote that down as well, and took the post-it with her.

"Alright, sweetie. I'll be right back with these." She stood from her desk and headed across the bullpen.

Lincoln let out a sigh, his gaze following. "Ah, she's great isn't she." Bellamy looked at him, quirking an eyebrow, and Lincoln couldn't keep the corner of his mouth from twitching as he tried to hide his smile.

"Favorite person I've met so far." Bellamy replied with a shrug, giving Lincoln a pointed glance.

"Oh, now that's just hurtful." Lincoln, pretending to be really offended.

Rita returned a moment later with Bellamy's all black uniform. The shirt and pants were both folded, wrapped up in clear plastic bags.

"There you go, handsome." Rita said. "There's a bathroom in the hall for you to change in. Why don't you go take care of that, and when you come back we'll get your photo taken for your badge."

Bellamy nodded and left them, kind of relieved that he had no idea what they were talking about while he was gone.

Most of the day went like that. Lincoln led Bellamy from one part of the station, or courthouse, to another. The armory was their last stop, where Bellamy picked up his weapon and holster. He'd received his uniform, his own badge with photo ID in a leather wallet, a uniform jacket, a police-issue duffel bag, and now his belt with cuffs, mace, holster for his sidearm, and a collapsable baton.

"For a city with no crime, you guys sure are outfitted pretty well." Bellamy said, as they made their way back upstairs from the armory.

Lincoln nodded. "Tell me about it. It's a little overkill in my opinion, which is why I normally don't where the whole belt getup, but I guess its an effective deterrent too." They were back in the bullpen, and Lincoln took a seat at his desk. "Don't forget." He said. "Kane wanted to see you before you left."

"Right." Bellamy said, stepping over to the office door, it was propped open now, and Bellamy knocked on the door frame.

"Ah, Blake, come on in." He said. "That uniform suits you."

"Thank you, Sir." Bellamy said.

"Please have a seat." Kane said, indicating the chair facing his desk. Bellamy sat. "So I assume Lincoln showed you everything? It's not a terribly large precinct."

Bellamy let himself give a little half a smile. "Yeah, I think he got me all sorted out."

"Good." Kane said. He sat back, picking up a file off his desk. "You received impressive marks from the academy, Blake. Marksmanship. Interrogation. Sounds like you're potential detective material."

"Thank you, Sir."

"So what are you doing here?" Kane said, closing the file and tossing it onto his desk.

"Sir?" Bellamy asked, not sure where this was going.

"We have one active case right now, Blake, and that's to figure who vandalized Ms. Hudson's yard gnomes. Occasionally we catch one of the high school kids with some pot, or perhaps some underage drinking at a party." Kane continued. "Sometimes we get reports of Billy, the town drunk urinating on the gazebo in town square. These are the kinds of cases we deal with. So what are you doing here?"

"Sir, I asked to transfer here." Bellamy said. "I have a very close group of friends that just moved here," it wasn't entirely true, but it was close enough. "All I want to do is protect and serve, and I want to do that protecting the people I care about. That's why I chose here."

Kane was silent, regarding his new officer closely. He watched as Blake set his jaw and he swallowed nervously, but he held Kane's gaze.

"Fair enough." Kane said finally. He stood, and Bellamy followed his example. Bellamy was surprised next by Kane's outstretched hand. "Welcome to TonDC PD." He said.

"Thank you, Sir." Bellamy said, shaking the sheriff's hand, and allowing himself to relax finally.

"I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning for your first official day. You're dismissed, Officer Blake."

Bellamy nodded and left Kane's office, stopping by Lincoln's desk on the way out to say goodbye. He waited, while his new partner finished up on a phone call.

"You sure?... yeah... yeah, okay... Alright, thanks Anya. Send those reports as soon as you can."

After Lincoln hung up, Bellamy made sure he knew that he was leaving.

"Alright, man. I'll see you tomorrow." Lincoln said.

"Yup. Bright and early." Bellamy said, repeating the Sheriff's words as he walked away. "Hey Lincoln," He said before getting to far.

"Yo." Lincoln replied, turning in his chair.

"You doing anything tonight?"

"Woah Blake, I like you and all, but you're moving a little fast for me." Lincoln said.

Bellamy just shook his head, unable to hide his grin. If he had to work with a partner, he figured he could do a lot worse than Lincoln. "We're having a kind of housewarming party tonight I guess." Bellamy shrugged. "Just casual, a few friends, a couple beers, and probably pizza."

Lincoln thought about it, then nodded. "Yeah why not." He said. "I've never been one to turn down pizza and beer. What time?"

Bellamy shrugged. "Whenever you're done here." He said. "We live in Unit #2, above the garage just off the square."

"Oh yeah, I'd heard someone had moved in there." Lincoln replied. "Alright, I'll be there around eight probably."

"Cool, see you then." Bellamy said.

"Oh my God." Octavia groaned at the ceiling, loud enough to make sure Raven could hear her. "Make it stop." She was on her knees in her room unpacking the last of her boxes. 'All About That bass' could be heard thumping through the paper-thin walls, coming from Raven's apartment. Of course it didn't help that both apartment doors were standing open; they couldn't really help it though. The apartments had been sitting closed up for way too long apparently, the air had become stale and musty. One of the first things Octavia had done was go around and open every single door and window, and turned on the ceiling fans in the living room and bedrooms to get some air circulating.

Just then Raven burst in, singing and dancing. "But I can shake it, shake it..." She spun out of the way as a pillow was flung at her face, laughing as it bounced off the wall and she danced back out of the room.

"Pretty quick for someone with a bum leg." Octavia muttered herself.

About an hour later Octavia was finally finished, coming out of her room to find Raven sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Did you actually do any work today?" Octavia asked, narrowing her gaze on her friend.

"Yes." Raven replied, sounding a bit put off. "I unpacked the clothes I'm wearing right now and my shampoo. I hid all the other boxes in the spare bedroom where no one would see them."

"God, its so unfair that you get an extra room for your shit." Octavia said.

"What can I say? I'm awesome." Raven said.

"If by awesome, you mean lonely." Octavia just managed to dodge the back of Raven's hand aimed at her shoulder. Raven tried a second time, but had to lean too far, and gave up instead of risking falling on off the counter and landing on her face.

"Dammit, Blake. I'm gonna get you back, you little shit." Raven growled.

It was that exact point that Bellamy entered. He was still dressed in his uniform, and had his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He was about to say something accusatory, to his little sister, when he was interrupted by a low wolf-whistle from Raven.

"Look out everybody, five-oh is here." Raven said.

Bellamy shot Raven a dirty look, then looked back at his sister. "I'm just gonna assume that whatever you did to make her call you a 'little shit,' she probably deserved."

"Oh nice, Blake. You best keep your distance tonight. I'll take off this brace and beat you to death with it."

Bellamy ignored her, dropping his bag on the couch, and letting out a sigh.

"Woah, Blake what are you doing?" Raven asked.

Bellamy gave her a confused look.

"We've got company coming remember?"

"Here?" Bellamy asked.

"Yeah," Octavia said. "Raven said that you offered."

"I bet she did." Bellamy said, shooting Raven another look.

"Hey, I asked, 'your place or mine.' You never answered."

Bellamy grabbed up is bag, and took it back to his room, shaking his head.

"Oh by the way." Raven said, finally hoping down from the counter, as carefully as she could, but without appearing to. "Pizza's on me tonight. You know... as a thank you... for your help yesterday with the shop."

"See." Bellamy said turning and looking at her incredulously. "Next time why don't you open with that?"

Raven gave him a look that said, 'yeah right,' then headed towards the door. "You wanna come with?" She asked Octavia.

"Sure." Octavia said with a shrug.

"Hey Blake." Raven stopped suddenly, calling out from the front door.

"Yeah." She heard him respond from his room.

"You make any friends today that I gotta worry about crashing this party."

"Yeah actually, make sure you get enough for one more."

"Aww. My brother has a plus-one." Octavia cooed. "They grow up so fast these days, don't they?"

Even from back in his room he could hear both girls laughing hysterically as they headed down the stairs, but all he could do at that point was shake his head and roll his eyes.

Clarke stood in front of her closet. It was the first time she'd been out in a long time, but she had no idea why she was stressing so much. 'It's just them.' She thought, picturing her group of friends, the same group of friends she'd known since sixth grade.

She shook her head, feeling ridiculous standing in the middle of her room in just her underwear. Finally making up her mind, she chose a black pair of jeans and white t-shirt. She wore a long-sleeve flannel over top of it of blue, black and gray, deciding to tie the bottom at her bellybutton, instead of buttoning it up. She sat on the edge of her bed and pulled on a pair of black boots to complete the outfit, lacing them, tying them and checking herself one last time in the mirror before heading downstairs.

Clarke's mom was sitting in the living, sipping her evening decaf coffee, and reading a book. Clarke stopped and actually paused for a minute. It was strange to see her mom so relaxed. It was something she never had time to do, back when they lived in Arkadia.

Feeling her daughter's presence in the room, Abby looked up from her book.

"You headed out now, honey?" Abby asked.

"Yeah." Clarke replied. She'd of course informed her mom that her friends had moved to town the day before, as soon as her mom had gotten home, and today with nothing else to do, she had texted her mom to make sure it was alright if she borrowed the car, as soon as she had gotten off the phone with Raven.

"Alright, keys are in my purse, on the kitchen counter." Abby said. Clarke turned to the kitchen and grabbed them, pausing again as she reached the living room.

"Hey mom," She said. "I was thinking today, well, you know I'm not so sure about the med school thing anymore, but I was thinking of signing up for some online gen. ed courses in the fall, see if I can figure out something to focus on between now and then."

"I think thats a great idea, sweetie." Abby said. "What brought this on?"

Clarke shrugged. "Whatever happened," she said, waving her hand in a way that indicated she was talking about the past. "It's a part of me now, and I can't just hide up here in the woods for the rest of my life feeling sorry for myself. I guess I realized that when everyone stopped by yesterday, ya know? I miss them." 

"Good for you." Abby said. Clarke smiled and quickly said goodbye.

"Have a good night dear." Abby said, as Clarke said good night and left, closing the door behind her.

Raven and Octavia were still laughing when they entered the pizza joint. Raven noticed the brunette behind the counter with curly hair.

She gave a casual upwards jerk of her chin. "Hey, what's up?" She said.

"Hi, there." Gina replied, amused by Raven's outwardness. "What can I get for you?"

"Let's see." Raven said, she looked over to Octavia. Theirs were the easiest to remember, so she ordered a pepperoni, a sausage, and her Hawaiian pizza first.

"Ugh, I still don't know how you can eat that, Raven." Octavia said.

"Uh... it's delicious." Raven replied. "What else? What does Clarke like again?"

Octavia shrugged. "Clarke's not really picky, she'll probably eat anything."

Raven's face lit up with mischief. "Should we get anchovies and cauliflower?" She asked.

Octavia's face lit up too. "Yeah!" She said, nodding her head up and down excitedly for a moment, before instantly shaking her head with a frown. "What? No. Are you nuts?"

Raven who had been completely pulled into Octavia's trap was suddenly caught off guard. "What? Why not?"

Octavia looked at Raven like she was actually was nuts then. "We haven't hung out with Clarke in over a month, no way am I letting you scare her off. You're lucky I'm letting you get your nasty pineapple crap."

"Whatever." Raven said, "I'm the one whose paying." Raven turned her attention to the girl behind the counter. "Sorry 'bout that."

The girl, who was trying very hard not to laugh, simply shook her head. "It's fine." She said. "Take your time." While Raven was staring up at the menu with her mouth quirked to one side as she tried to think, the girl gave her a surreptitious glance. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a red hoodie, and blue jeans, and she had a medical brace on her left leg. Careful to make sure she wasn't caught staring, Gina's gaze quickly flicked down to the monitor when something struck her about the order she'd typed in so far.

"You guys don't live above that garage across the street, do you?" Gina asked.

"Yeah." Raven said, puzzled.

"A guy came in yesterday." Gina explained. "He ordered the same exact three pizzas."

"Oh yeah," Octavia said. "That was my brother, Bellamy. I'm Octavia. This is Raven. We'll probably be your most frequent customers now."

Even though she wasn't saying anything Raven nodded in agreement.

"So have you made up your mind yet?" Octavia asked, turning back to Raven who had seemed to have zoned out. "Hello. Earth to Raven." Octavia snapped her fingers in front of Raven's face. Raven jerked back from the hand in her face.

"What? Geez, what's wrong with you?" Raven said. "Yeah, I've made up my mind." Raven shook her head, gently pushing Octavia away from her. Gina chuckled softly and Raven gave her a small smile. "I'll also take one plain cheese, and one supreme, please." Gina punched them into the register with the others.

"Would you guys like any sodas as well?" She asked.

Raven looked to Octavia, Octavia shrugged. "Yeah," Raven said. "Might as well, same as last night. Also is there anywhere we can pick up some beer in this town?"

"Yeah," Gina said. "There's a general store, about a block from your place, in the opposite direction, by the gas station."

"Wait, there's actually a general store. Oh my god, this town is adorable." Raven laughed.

Five pizzas ended up taking a good amount of time longer than the night before. So they decided that Octavia would wait for the pizzas and Raven would go get the beer. Raven made sure to give her the money to pay for them, and assured her friend that she'd be back to help her carry them all. She then walked up to the general store bought a couple twelve packs, and carried them back, stopping off at the apartment to put them in the fridge to make sure they'd be cold for the night ahead. Then she hurried back to meet Octavia before the pizzas were done.

When Raven returned to the pizza place, she saw Octavia suddenly stand up straight from where she had been leaning over the counter. Gina flushed slightly and appeared uncomfortable making direct eye contact with Raven, and Raven was pretty sure they were enjoying themselves at her expense. The last of the pizzas finished a couple minutes later, and Octavia paid with Raven's money.

"See ya." Raven said, waving goodbye to Gina.

"Yeah, see ya." Said Octavia. "And remember what I said." Again Gina blushed slightly, but she smiled and nodded and returned Raven's wave.

"Alright, what the hell was that about?" Raven asked, once they were back out on the street.

"What was what about?" Octavia said, sounding perfectly oblivious.

"With you and Gina? What was going on between you two?"

"I'm positive that I have no idea what you're talking about." Said Octavia.

"Oh, you're not getting off that easy." Raven said, her irritation clearly growing as they crossed the street back towards the apartment.

The garage was easy enough to find, right where Raven said it would be. Clarke was still a little late though, thanks to her indecisive tendencies when it came to picking out clothes. She parked right out front, next to a dark red Nissan Xterra, and walked around to the side of the building like Raven had told her. Even from outside, her heightened senses of hearing could pick up on the rowdy conversations going on inside. She could also caught the scents of both pizza and beer. The stairwell when she entered was dark and smelled heavily of mothballs, even in the near pitch-black though, Clarke could still make out the steps without any difficulty.

Just as she reached the top landing, she heard an unfamiliar voice from inside.

"I think someone's at the door." He said. Clarke paused her fist raised to knock. 'That's weird.' She thought.

Just then the door opened and Raven was standing there. "Princess!" She squealed, wrapping her up in a tight hug. Clarke's was caught off guard, because Raven never squealed like that when she got excited, but then Clarke noticed the beer in Raven's hand and caught the heavy scent of it on her breath, and it started making a little more sense.

"Hey guys." Raven called out to the room, draping her arm over Clarke's shoulder, as she led her inside. "Look who's here." Octavia and Bellamy both came up and gave her big hugs, seeming to restrain themselves only slightly more than Raven had, and they weren't even drunk.

"It's good to see you." Bellamy said, as he pulled away.

"Yeah, you too." Replied Clarke. Then she noticed the impressive man standing slightly behind Bellamy. He was taller, with broader shoulders and a shaved bald head.

"Clarke, this is Lincoln, my new partner." Introduced Bellamy. "Lincoln, this is my friend, Clarke."

"Clarke?" He said. "Wait? You're Clarke?"

Clarke was both surprised and confused. She'd never seen him before, but he seemed to recognize her somehow. Also, considering Lincoln was indeed impressive, almost imposing in stature, when he extended his hand for Clarke to shake it, he kept his head lowered and his gaze averted. No one else seemed to notice this though.

"Wait. Do you two know each other already?" Bellamy asked. Clarke shook her head.

"No." Lincoln answered, "but we have a mutual friend, Lexa." He explained to Clarke, before turning back to Bellamy. "Lexa gave me a heads up that Clarke had a friend that was joining the force, said to make sure I kept an eye out, just as a favor for a friend kind of thing."

"Well that was nice of her." Bellamy said. "What are the odds we'd be assigned as partners, huh?"

"It's a small department." Lincoln reminded him. "The odds were literally one out of seven."

"Shut up and have another beer." Bellamy said shaking his head, and slapping Lincoln on the back. "You want one, princess?" Bellamy asked.

She wasn't twenty-one yet, and she wasn't sure about drinking around two cop, even if they were her friends, especially if she was driving home, but she figured she could always crash on the couch if she really had to, and even Octavia had a beer in her hand, so she figured 'what the hell?'

"Yeah, why not?" She said, finally. She deserved to cut loose and have some fun, she resolved.

"That's the spirit." Octavia said, stepping over to the iPod dock where she had her phone plugged in. She hit play and pulled Clarke over to dance with her, Raven joining in almost immediately.

Bellamy came back with her beer, she opened up and they all cheered each other. Clarke was caught a bit off guard, when Bellamy raised his drink and said. "To Clarke." Everyone else though followed his lead enthusiastically, raising their beer cans. Drunk Raven wrapped her up in another tight hug.

"It's so good to have you back." She said. Clarke returned her hug, and she realized just how out of it she had been since her father's funeral, and how long she'd gone without seeing any of them with the move and everything.

"Thanks." Clarke said. "But I never went anywhere, not really. It is really good to see all you guys though." They all hugged her again, and Clarke was afraid she'd end up getting emotional. That is until she spotted the pizza sitting on the coffee table, and it reminded her how hungry she was.

She took a seat, and devoured the whole supreme pizza over the course of an hour, while watching the party go on around her. She took another big sip of, what she believed was her third beer as Lincoln came over to her, standing next to the couch.

"You realize that those don't work on us, right?" He said.

"What?" She said, trying to gracefully separate herself from the piece of pizza she was working on, as strands of cheese stretched from her mouth.

"Beer." He said. "You would need to drink about fifteen, or twenty before you even start feeling the buzz."

She managed to finally chew and swallow, and was about to ask him what exactly he meant, but he was already gone, moving along behind the couch to talk to the others.

"Heyy." Raven said, collapsing on the couch next to her just then. "You thinkin' of gettin' yourself that big ole hunk 'o man-meat?"

"No." Clarke laughed. "He's not really my type." She said. Raven looked from Clarke, to where Lincoln was standing, and then back to Clarke.

"Yeah, mine either." Raven said. "Octavia on the other hand..."

"Yes, Raven. We know Octavia is your type." Clarke said. "It's too bad she's straight."

"That's not what I meant." Raven's slurred speech exaggerated her exasperated tone in a way that was almost cute. "I think Tarzan over there might be her type."

Clarke laughed. She had forgotten how much fun Raven could be when she was drunk. Hell, Clarke forgot how much fun Raven was when she was sober too. She was reminded once again, just how much she had missed hanging out with all her friends. Sure, she'd only been MIA for about a month, but they all had hung out literally almost everyday, since sixth grade. No wonder the last month had felt so empty for Clarke. The only highlight that she could find, thinking back in it, was meeting Lexa.

Lexa. Just the thought of her made Clarke's pulse stutter. Unfortunately that's as far as her thoughts got in that moment, as she was suddenly startled by the movement of Raven shooting up to her feet.

She watched curiously as Raven made her way quickly to the door. This time Clarke caught the sound of a knock coming through, which she must have been too distracted to hear the first time. Raven opened the door to reveal a nice-looking brunette girl that Clarke didn't recognize.

"Gina?" Raven said, when she realized who it was.

"Oh hey Gina, you made it." Octavia said stepping over beside Raven. "Come on in."

Clarke stood to meet the new girl, as Bellamy and Lincoln came over too.

"Gina, this is Clarke and that's Lincoln." Octavia introduced. "I believe you know my brother already."

"Hi there." Bellamy said.

"Everyone. This is Gina." Octavia announced.

Gina seemed nice. She was from TonDC, born and raised, and Clarke found out that she worked at the pizza place, which the others apparently already knew.

"So that's what you two were laughing about." Raven realized. Gina blushed slightly. "When you and O were talking earlier.

Gina nodded. "Octavia invited me, but told me not to say anything." She smiled at Raven. "I got to say, it was worth it to see your face."

Raven felt her cheeks get hot, and she shook her head pursing her lips. "I'm gonna..."

"Hey now," Gina said, her fingers innocently brushing along Raven's forearm. "Don't be too hard on her. She was just having a bit of fun."

Somehow, when Gina told Raven not to be mad, it was like she suddenly wasn't anymore. There was a gently flutter in her chest, and Raven realized that she might be in a lot of trouble.

For the rest of the night Raven and Gina were pretty much the only people either of them talked to, except in passing. Octavia spent the rest of the night with a slightly smug smile on her face, glad she'd been right about the chemistry she thought she'd spotted when those two had first met.

A couple hours and a few beers later, the two of them were sitting close. Raven was leaning back against the arm of the couch and had her legs draped over Gina's lap. Gina chewed her bottom lip slightly, having wanted to ask Raven something all night. It took her until now though to find the courage.

During one of their infrequent pauses in conversation, Gina carefully posed the question. "Can I ask, what happened to your leg?"

Raven was quiet for a moment, letting out a careful breath. "A jack failed, pinned me beneath a car that I was working on last summer." She said.

Gina visibly winced. Taking Raven's hand in her own.

"Yeah... it sucks," Raven continued. "Thirty-five hundred pounds of '66 Chevelle SS ended up crushing my leg, hip and lower spine. Doctors say I may never be able to wiggle my toes again." Her dark eyes were wet with tears, but Gina leaned over and kissed her very gently, just at the corner of her lips.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Gina said.

Raven nodded, blinking away the tears, sniffling slightly. "Yeah... and that's why I don't use other people's equipment anymore." She said, trying to force a smile.

Clarke had heard the story once before, but knew how hard it was for Raven to tell it. She was starting to feel guilty about eavesdropping on Raven and Gina, so she quietly stood and went to get herself another beer. Lincoln was in the kitchen too, so Clarke approached him, hoping they could talk.

"Can I ask you something?" Clarke said, trying to be discreet.

Lincoln's friendly, perfectly white smile vanished in an instant. "No." He said, catching Clarke off guard.

"Uh... wait, what?"

"Not here." Lincoln explained, speaking in a hushed tone. "Come to Forrest Glenn Manor. Tomorrow afternoon."

Just as he finished, Octavia came barreling around the corner into the kitchen.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey..." She said, physically running into Lincoln and almost bouncing off him. Apparently Octavia had taken liberties with the beer, and Clarke wasn't sure anyone had been monitoring how many she had. She would've lost her balance completely had it not been for Lincoln's powerful arms wrapped around her. "Hands off him, Princess." She slurred. "This one's mine."

"Okeydokey, Octavia." Clarke laughed. "Good luck with that." She said to Lincoln, patting him sympathetically on the shoulder. She walked past him and made her way back out to the living room. She found that Raven and her new friend Gina had moved, now standing suspiciously close to each other, and seemed to be slowly making their way towards the door. Instead Bellamy was now the one sitting on the couch, slouching back against the armrest. He was holding his beer in one hand, and just seemed to be watching everything.

Clarke walked over to the couch, pushing his one leg out of the way, forcing him to change the angle at which he was sitting. She sat down next to him, letting out a content sigh.

"You look good, Princess." He said.

She quirked an eyebrow at him, smirking. "Thanks." She said.

"Not like that." He started. "Well, yeah okay, like that too... but that's not what I meant." He ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "I just meant, since the last time I saw you I mean." He said, then lowered his tone. "After the funeral."

Clarke shifted slightly in her seat, but nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't in a good place back then." She said. She swallowed the lump in her throat, before bringing her gaze up to meet his. "I'm better now though." She said. "And I'm really glad you guys are here. It's awesome. I've really missed you."

Bellamy gave her his typical charming, crooked smile, and brought his fist up to her shoulder giving her gentle shove. "Missed you too, princess."

Bellamy then stood, paused to make sure the room wasn't spinning too bad, and then headed towards the kitchen.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing, O?" Bellamy's voice suddenly carried from the other room. There were some muffled, but clearly argumentative words exchanged, and then Octavia's voice could be heard, louder.

"Back off, Bellamy." Octavia said.

'Uh-oh.' Clarke thought. Clarke rushed to the kitchen, followed shortly by Raven and Gina.

"Listen, Blake. It's not like that, man." Lincoln said.

"Oh its not, huh?" Octavia said, turning on Lincoln, slapping him hard against his chest. Needless to say Lincoln was a little nonplussed by Octavia's aggressive and confrontational behavior, since less than a minute ago, she could barely stand.

"Octavia, calm down." Lincoln said.

"Fuck you. Don't tell me to calm down" She shouted. Bellamy reached for her arm, but she jerked away harshly. "Fuck you, too." She told her brother, then stormed out of the kitchen, down the hall to her room, where she slammed the door.

Lincoln attempted to follow after her, but it was Raven who stepped in front of him, putting her hand up to his chest, shaking her head.

"Nu-huh, you should probably just let it go for now." She said.

Lincoln turned to Bellamy. "Look Blake, this was a total misunderstanding, alright?" Bellamy pursed his lips, just staring down the hall after his sister.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow." Bellamy said, giving him a curt nod, then walked back to his room too, slamming the door behind him too.

"Well, that was awesome." Lincoln said. "It was nice meeting you guys. I guess I'll see you all later." It was pretty clear that he still had no idea what exactly had happened, and neither did anyone else who was still there.

"Yeah, uh... see you around." Clarke said.

"Bye." Said Raven.

Clarke, Raven and Gina stood around in silence for only a moment, before they decided that the party was officially over, and said their goodbyes too. Raven went to the fridge and took the four or five remaining beers with her back to her apartment. The last thing Clarke saw from the bottom of the steps as she left the building, was Gina following Raven across the hall into her apartment.

Clarke woke up with a small flood of relief, discovering the fact that because alcohol didn't effect her when she drank, it meant that she didn't get hangovers anymore either. She climbed out of bed and went to her closet, pulling out a pair of white denim cut-offs and a thin, pale-blue denim shirt, with pearl snaps.

Taking a seat back on her bed after she dressed, Clarke picked up her phone and googled, 'Forrest Glenn Manor.' She found an address online, and copied and pasted it into her Maps function. The phone searched for a moment as her data connection worked to pull up an answer, before dropping her a pin in what looked like the middle of the forest.

It took her a good two minutes of zooming out, scrolling to find the nearest named street, dropping a pin there, and getting directions to that pin from her current location. It was a good two hour walk according to Maps, but if she cut through the woods, Clarke figured she could cut that down to about forty-five minutes.

Lincoln had said in the afternoon. Clarke wondered if that meant twelve-oh-one, or four o'clock. Lexa had said, 'call or text anytime,' so Clarke figured she should text her to double check.

'Hey Lexa, it's Clarke. Met Lincoln last night. He suggested I come over today to Forrest Glenn. You around?'

Clarke spent the rest of the morning in her room, she started several sketches, but had too much on her mind to be able to concentrate on what she was doing.

By twelve-thirty, Lexa still hadn't texted her back. Clarke considered maybe not going, but Lincoln had been the one to invite her this time, not Lexa. Hell, he hadn't asked, 'hey, you wanna come over?' He had told her outright to, 'come over tomorrow.' Clarke finally decided, 'screw it.' The worst they could do is turn her away when she showed up at their door.

Making up her mind, Clarke went out onto the balcony. She slid the door closed behind her, and with one hand on the railing vaulted over the side of the house. She fell two stories, landing in a slight crouch, gently on the balls of her feet, then she was on the move, sprinting through the woods once more.

Early that same morning Bellamy walked into the police station, his head was killing him, but he was surprised that he was actually two minutes early. He tensed when he saw Lincoln sitting at his desk already, but luckily Lincoln had his back to him. Bellamy took a deep breath, and continued. He stepped around, taking a seat at his own desk.

"Hey." Bellamy said, running a hand through his dark hair. "Look, I'm sorry about last night." He said. "You're a good guy, and I trust you. Octavia... Octavia's a big girl, and I trust her too. She's smart, and she deserves a good guy."

Lincoln nodded. "I can totally appreciate that man." Lincoln said. "Your sister seems really nice, but we literally just met, last night wasn't like that. There's no reason for you to worry, alright. Give me the chance to get to know a bit first at least. If anything comes out of that, I'll be sure to let you know."

Bellamy nodded and smiled, glad that he and his partner were still on good terms. "Till then I think it'd be best if O didn't drink anymore."

Lincoln chuckled. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

Lincoln's phone buzzed in is pocket, and her dug it out to answer. "This is Lincoln." He answered. "Yeah." He turned to his computer, pulling up his email. "Yeah, I got it... are you sure? Yeah, okay... alright, thanks." He hung up, placing his phone on his desk, opening up the email that he had received from Anya.

"What was that about?" Bellamy asked.

"Oh, that was nothing." Lincoln said, glancing at his phone. "Just a colleague emailing me some files for follow up."

The email Anya had sent him had a listing of all the wolf sightings with dates, times and locations from the last two months.

"Ah, shit." Lincoln muttered under his breath.

"What's up?" Asked Bellamy.

"I took home a part of a file yesterday, and forgot it at the house." Lincoln lied. "You mind covering me, I'll be back in like a half hour."

"Uh, sure, I guess" Bellamy said.

"Thanks. If Kane asks, just tell him I ran to the gas station up the road to get a decent coffee." Lincoln said. "I do that normally anyways."

"Yeah, alright." Said Bellamy.

Lincoln printed off the attachment to the email he received from Anya, and grabbed it off the printer, as he hurriedly made his way out of the building.

His dark red Xterra sprayed gravel as he skidded to a stop in front of Forrest Glenn Manor, and he hurried into the den, where Lexa had unrolled the map on the table just a couple days earlier.

Having heard him enter in a hurry, Indra came downstairs a moment later and followed him into the den to see what the trouble was.

He was busy marking the locations of the wolf sightings, and writing the corresponding dates next to them.

"It looks like the first sighting was here." He said, before Indra had even had a chance to ask anything. "That was three weeks before the attack on Clarke and her father at Mt. Weather."

Indra nodded to indicate that he had her attention.

"The next sighting was here." He said, pointing out the second location he'd already marked. "And Clarke was here, when the attack happened." There was already an 'x' marked at the Mt. Weather Campground with the time and date of the attack written next to it. "Over the next four weeks, there were three separate sightings." Lincoln explained. Then he marked them in order on the map. "Here, here, and then here." He said, standing up straight and looking to Indra.

"He headed straight back to Azgeda territory." She said. Lincoln nodded.

"I think this may not have been a rogue at all." He said.

"What have you found?" A deep voice asked from behind them. Lincoln turned to see Gustus enter, the man nearly had to duck through the doorway to get into the room. Lincoln was just about to explain what Anya's reports had revealed, when there was a knock at the door.

Clarke steeled herself, set her jaw, and walked up the stone steps to the large wooden door. She gave it three hard raps with the back of her knuckles. The door opened to reveal a man, about half the size of a school bus. He had a thick black beard, and long black hair. He glared down at Clarke without a word, but Clarke's gaze held steady.

"Gustus." A familiar voice spoke from behind the man. "It's okay." With a hand on Gustus' shoulder, Lincoln stepped around him to greet Clarke.

"Hey," Lincoln said. "Come on in."

Clarke nodded and followed, as Lincoln led Clarke into the den. Gustus followed closely behind Clarke, and Clarke could feel the hair standing up on the back of her neck. She recognized the threat response from Gustus for what it was, but didn't let herself falter.

Clarke noticed another woman in the den, just before Lincoln spoke again. "Clarke, this is Indra."

"Hi." Clarke said. She extended her hand, but Indra didn't take it. Clarke let her hand fall back to her side, but still somehow maintained her composure. "Is Lexa here?"

"Yeah, where is Lexa?" Lincoln asked.

"She's at the cabin." Indra said.

"The cabin?" Lincoln asked puzzled, but then his eyes widened slightly. Clarke noticed before he could cover it up though, and she looked from him to Indra, and back to him.

"Clarke, I'm sure you have a lot of questions." Indra said. "Why don't you go see Lexa? I'm sure she's expecting you." Her face was a perfect mask, but something in her tone, made Clarke feel like they were setting her up for something. Lincoln was still regarding Indra questioningly, but Indra gave him a slight almost imperceptible nod.

"Okay." Lincoln said finally. "Come with me. I'll show you the way." Lincoln led Clarke through the house, and out through the back doors. They stood for a moment on a large patio of gray stone pavers, looking out over a sprawling, perfectly manicured green lawn, dotted occasionally by small decorative trees, and surrounded on all sides by thick forrest.

"The cabin is that way." Lincoln said, pointing in the general direction of the far corner of the lawn, with his whole hand. "At the edge of the woods you'll find a trail. You can't miss it. That trail will lead you to the cabin at the north edge of the property."

Clarke nodded. "Um... okay." She said. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I have to get back to work." He said, indicating his police uniform. Then Lincoln turned and went back into the house, leaving her standing there by herself. Something weird was going on, but Clarke couldn't figure out what. She figured Lexa would be the best person to explain things to her though, so she set off across the yard, heading for the corner of the woods, where Lincoln had indicated.

Lincoln had been right. The path was well-worn and easy to find. It also appeared regularly maintained, as rocks lined both sides, with virtually zero undergrowth encroaching on it. The property of Forrest Glenn Manor extended for acres and acres though, and the walk was far further than Clarke would have thought.

It was a long way, but an easy walk, and in time Clarke came over a small rise, where she spotted the cabin down below her. At first she only smelled the wood smoke, rising languidly out from the top of the chimney, but then a gentle breeze picked up. It rustled the leaves around her, and ruffled through Clarke's hair. It also carried a thick heady aroma from the direction of the cabin. Clarke was standing downwind, and immediately identified Lexa's scent, only it had a certain edge to it now, a potency that made Clarke's mouth water and lips feel dry at the same time. It made her breathing hitch and her pulse race, and made her knees feel like they might collapse beneath her.

Her feet led her down the hill towards the cabin without even thinking about it, the undeniable pull she felt, leading her along. There was no way she could have turned around now, even if she had wanted to. The closer she got to the cabin the stronger the scent got and the stronger its effects. An intense and almost painful swelling sensation, was felt between Clarke's legs. She groaned as the intensity increased with every hot, throbbing beat of her pulse.

Clarke was nearly staggering as she closed the last ten feet or so, intoxicated with lust by the time she finally reached the cabin. She raised her fist to knock, but the door swung open before she had a chance, and there stood Lexa to greet her. She was completely naked. Her bronze skin already glistening with a thin sheen of sweat, almost making her appear to be glowing, as she was illuminated by the golden sun descending behind the mountains at Clarke's back. Clarke licked her lips hungrily, her black pupils swallowing up the endless sea of blue within her eyes as they raked tauntingly over every inch of Lexa's body. Without a single thought, Clarke closed the remaining distance between them. Momentum carried them deeper into the warm, safe shadows of the cabin, one of them somehow managing to swing the door shut behind them. As their lips came together with bruising intensity, Clarke's arms wrapped tightly around Lexa, bringing their bodies flush together, her fingers attempting to trace every curve and contour of Lexa's hard, toned body.

Lexa's hands came up, tangling her fingers in Clarke's thick golden mane. Her lips parted. She whimpered as her tongue snaked out of her mouth, eagerly seeking permission to play with Clarke's. The soft, warm, wet flesh of Lexa's tongue caressed the soft, warm, wet flesh of her own, as Clarke accepted it and sucked it gently into her mouth, drawing a whine from Lexa. The noise in turn drawing a low rumbling growl, from somewhere deep within Clarke.

There was still so much that Clarke didn't know about herself. Still so many things that she had to learn. Every alpha instinct she had though, was telling Clarke that this was absolutely right. Lexa tried to pull Clarke even closer, her grip on Clarke's scalp intensifying, as she pressed her body hard against Clarke's.

The growing pressure in Clarke's tight shorts was growing nearly unbearable, and as if Lexa was reading her mind, one of her hands untangled itself from her blonde locks and reached down, deftly popping the metal snap and carefully dragging down the zip. Clarke let out a gasp at the immediate relief she felt. The pressing discomfort was gone, but the urging internal pressure remained, and in fact only grew stronger. She reached with one of her own hands, down into her open shorts, feeling her hard, throbbing clit, pulsing against the palm of her hand through her panties. It had grown and swelled to nearly the size of her thumb. Just beneath that, her fingers felt that the wet heat of her sex had already thoroughly soaked through her underwear. A gentle growl grew in Clarke's chest as she caressed herself, but it was torn from her throat, heavier, louder, and before she had expected, as she felt Lexa's hand cover and then replace her own.

'What the fuck?' Clarke thought. She was pretty sure that this wasn't part of any werewolf lore she'd heard of before, but Lexa not only didn't seem surprised, but if her actions said anything, was quite excited by the unexpected growth of Clarke's clit. The fingers of Clarke's displaced hand dug firmly into the soft flesh of Lexa's hip, gripping her tightly, as she pressed herself hard against Lexa's hand.

As one of Lexa's hands fondled Clarke between her thighs, her other hand grabbed at the collar of her denim shirt. The snaps easily pulled apart with one good yank, and with just a bit of maneuvering, Clarke was able to shrug out of it and let it drop to the floor. Still their mouths pressed together, Clarke's teeth occasionally catching hold of Lexa's bottom lip.

Finally their kiss broke. Lexa let out a soft whimper, her bottom lip visibly trembling. She radiated sensuality, cast in the heavy shadows from the dim light from the fireplace. Clarke traced her fingertips ever so lightly up Lexa's sides, over her ribs. She passed over, barely grazing the sides of Lexa's breasts, before bringing her hands up to tenderly cup Lexa's face. The whole time theirs eyes stayed locked. Both sets dark and heavy with arousal, both wholly focused on the other. There was no additional response, this time. No rush of adrenaline. Both of them were wound so tightly and so acutely in that moment there was no further response that pheromones alone could excite. The room was already saturated with the scents of Clarke, and Lexa, and their need, and sex.

Still holding onto her, Clarke pulled Lexa close. They shared another kiss, this one more tender, but it spoke to both of them on a far deeper level. As they separated, they retained eye contact, until Lexa bowed her head, placing her lips at the swell of Clarke's breast. Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths beneath Lexa's soft lips, her eyes fluttering shut as Lexa rained dozens of kisses over her chest, along her collar bone, and up over the pulse of her throat.

Lexa felt the soft rumbling growl beneath her loving mouth. It made Clarke's skin come alive with minute vibrations. As she reached the crux of Clarke's jaw, where the scent emanating from her glans was the strongest, Lexa allowed her teeth to graze over the tender, tempting flesh. There was no way she could get herself to bite down though. To claim what she so desperately wanted. She couldn't do that to Clarke, and she couldn't let Clarke do that to her, no matter how badly she wished for Clarke to claim her. To take her and mark her as her own. She couldn't let that happen, not before she had the chance to fully explain to Clarke exactly what that would entail. The weight of what they were doing tried to build upon her, threatening to crush her, her own arousal and need fought it back. Just once could she let herself have this? Let herself be selfish?

An impatient growl, brought Lexa back to the moment, as one of Clarke's hands reached behind her back in order to unhook the catch of her bra. Clarke's other hand stroked through Lexa's thick, dark hair, and guided her head to one of Clarke's breasts. Allowing Clarke to take control, Lexa found the answer to her questions. Yes. This was what she wanted, and she there was no way she could give up on this opportunity.

Clarke chewed her bottom lip into her mouth, as Lexa eagerly took Clarke's nipple into hers. Lexa expertly used her tongue, lips and teeth to tease the hard, sensitive nub of flesh, causing Clarke to let her head drop back, eyes shut, as she let out an aroused moan.

After several moments of teasing first one nipple, and then the other, Lexa bowed slowly to her knees before Clarke. Her green eyes glistening in the low light. Her soft lips trailing butterfly kisses down over Clarke's ribs and stomach. Clarke's breath hitched in her throat as she felt Lexa's teeth graze her hipbone.

Lexa's hands came up, hooking her fingers into the waistband of Clarke's shorts, and slowly pulled them down Clarke's legs. The throbbing between Clarke's legs had only gotten worse, and the swelling bulge in her panties was now embarrassingly large. Lexa though, just eyed it hungrily, lips parting with heavy desirous breaths.

A shiver coursed through Clarke's body as she felt Lexa's fingers trailing up her thighs. Lexa leaned in, bathing Clarke's groin with the warmth of her breath. Clarke felt a bead of arousal seep from the tip of her cock, soaking into her panties. The thin, delicate material was gripped at the waistband by Lexa's fingers, as she pulled it down over Clarke, exposing her stiff throbbing need.

Clarke's sweet, yet musky aroma flooded Lexa's senses. She smelled of summer storms and rain and damp earth, but those were all just the undertones that were the scent of Clarke, threatening to wash all that away was the ever growing scent of lust and desire.

Lexa paused for only a moment, the corner of her lips curling gently into a smile, as Clarke's cock twitched in response to Lexa's hot breath washing over her bare flesh. Then she leaned forward, her lips forming an airtight seal around the swollen head of Clarke's cock, and her lips slid slowly down the length of her shaft. Clarke felt herself instantly grow larger, both longer and thicker, within the warm, wet confines of Lexa's talented mouth.

"Oh fuck, Lexa." Clarke groaned, her voice a throaty whisper. She brought her head back to look down at Lexa, and watch as she took her into her mouth again and again. Lexa slid one of her hands up Clarke's thigh again, letting it dip down further between Clarke's legs, below the point where her cock jutted obscenely from her groin; where her lips were puffy and red with need, and slick with arousal. Lexa's fingers stroked over her lips, barely parting them at first, before gently dipping a finger inside.

Clarke's hips moved on their own, withdrawing from Lexa's mouth, only to push down further on the invading digit, and in reverse, sliding up off Lexa's finger, only to plunge deeper into her mouth. Clarke's fingers stroked through Lexa's silky brown hair.

"Lexa." Clarke breathed. At the sound of her name, Lexa's eyes flicked up to meet Clarke's, her cheeks hollowed as sucked Clarke deeper, her tongue sliding down the underside of her shaft. She added a second finger, sliding in and out of Clarke's smooth, slick wetness, curling her fingers slightly, to rub against the inside of Clarke in just the right spot.

"Oh shit, Lexa." Clarke didn't know how much more of this she could fucking take. This was... this was... Clarke didn't even have the words to describe what she was feeling in that moment.

Clarke's mind may not have been capable of knowing what she was feeling, but the alpha in her did. As she the thrumming pressure building her loins. She let out a sharp growl, lifting Lexa off her cock and pulling her back up to her feet.

Lexa, puzzled by Clarke's actions stood and locked eyes with her, but after a moment it became clear that there would not be that typical threat response. Lexa could no longer challenge Clarke, even if she wanted to. Claimed or not, Clarke would be her alpha.

Lexa swallowed a lump in her throat with the realization, and averted her gaze. She let her head fell back and to one side, exposing at much of her throat as possible. Clarke pulled her close with an arm wrapped tightly around Lexa's waist. Her teeth clamped down on Lexa's throat. Alpha instincts coursed through Clarke's body, buzzing in her head. She wanted so badly to clamp her teeth down as hard as she could, but that would hurt Lexa. Somehow she knew, not just physically, but in other ways as well. She couldn't describe it, but she knew she couldn't do that yet.

Somehow Clarke, managed to think through the haze, her attention instead drawn to the pulsing heat, as her hard cock had nestled itself between Lexa's thighs. Clarke let a deep rumbling growl slip past her lips, reverberating over Lexa's throat, as she replaced her teeth with her hot, wet tongue. With one hand still around Lexa's waist, her other came up, gently caressing and fondling Lexa's breasts, as her hips began grinding against Lexa's body.

For several long moments, all that was heard was the heavy breathing of the two of them, as their bodies, slick with perspiration, pressed and slid against each other. Finally, several more moments after that, Lexa pulled herself away slowly. Clarke gave her a warning growl of protest, but Lexa turned away, smiling over her shoulder as she led Clarke by the hand over to the fireplace. Just in front of the stone hearth, a thick bed of furs were laid upon the floor. There, she sank back down to the ground, lying back in a supine position. She brought her knees up, letting her legs fall open, before pulling Clarke gently down to lie on top of her.

As their naked bodies came together again, Lexa reached her hand down between them, her fingers tenderly wrapping around Clarke and guiding Clarke to her entrance. Clarke allowed herself to press against the slick, swollen lips. She felt the tight ring of muscle, and slowly pushed the head of her cock through, feeling a fresh surge of wet heat release within the channel of tense inner muscles. Clarke laid her forehead down, resting it on Lexa's, giving her a chance to adjust to the insertion. She fought the animalistic urge to plunge inside in one hard thrust, instead placing kisses on Lexa's forehead, eyelids and the tip of her nose.

Lexa craned her neck slightly, her lips questing and finding Clarke's as her nails raked down Clarke's back and her legs wrapped around her hips. Lexa pushed up slowly with her own hips, and inch by torturous inch, Clarke sank deeper into her silken heat. Clarke growled through grinding teeth as she fought the desire to bury herself fully. Finally Lexa let out a loud gasp, feeling Clarke's entire length inside of her, her inner muscles twitching, as she reveled in the amazing sensations of fullness.

Ever so slowly, Clarke began screwing her hips in a gentle rolling motion. More fresh wetness filled Lexa's quivering core, easing the friction as Clarke started sliding in and out. Their lips locked passionately, arms wrapped around each other, breasts pressed against each other. Their hips moved in sync now as Clarke's long, smooth movements, grew quicker and shorter.

Lexa broke the kiss with a sudden gasp. "Clarke." Her name on Lexa's tongue, set off something deep inside her. Clarke fucked into Lexa harder, as she buried her face in the crook of Lexa's neck. Once again the smooth, delicate flesh of Lexa's throat trembled beneath her teeth, but then she felt Lexa's teeth on her throat as well. The growing pressure, built up in Clarke's shaft and drove her to distraction. Her knot swelled and pressed against Lexa's red, puffy lips with every thrust of Clarke's hips.

With every thrust, Lexa felt herself losing more and more control. While Clarke's shaft filled her just right on the inside, with every thrust Clarke's knot hit her clit just right on the outside. Her breathing grew ragged. Every muscle in her body grew tense. Her teeth clamped down on Clarke's neck, before she could even realize it. A flash of terror at what she was doing blazed through her head, but then she felt Clarke's teeth clamp down on her as well. Reflexively, her inner muscles clamped down as well. Spasms rocked her chest, her hips jerked, and her heels dug into the backs of Clarke's thighs, as her toes curled uncontrollably.

The silken muscles on Lexa's inner walls gripped Clarke like a vice, a wave of heat spilled out around Clarke's cock and splashed over her knot, soaking their thighs, and running down Lexa's ass. The spasms rippling over the length of her shaft, and sensation of Lexa's teeth digging into her neck, were too much to take at the same time. She felt the roiling pressure surging up her shaft. Her cock gave a violent jerk, and with a final thrust, Clarke buried herself inside of Lexa as deep as she could.

Lexa felt the pulsing of Clarke's hard, hot cock and the wet ropes of come splashing against her inner walls, filling her to overflowing. For an instant it was as if time froze, their tense bodies spasmed together, muscles rhythmically seizing and relaxing as they held onto each other as if their very lives depended on it. Then as if on queue, they both went limp.

For an undeterminable amount of time, they laid there. Neither said a thing, they just remained still until their breathing returned to a somewhat normal cadence. Finally Clarke slid out from Lexa, a a messy cocktail of their juices spilling out after her, though it wasn't as much as there would have been if Clarke had successfully knotted. Clarke slid over, so that she was lying only half on top of Lexa instead of fully on top of her. Lexa let out a sigh, that was somehow equal parts relief and disappointment at the same time. She reached up to her throat, feeling the bite mark that Clarke had left. She hadn't broken the skin, but the bruising she left behind would last for days.

Lexa looked down at Clarke, who was resting her head on Lexa's chest. Her brilliant blue eyes catching the glint from the embers still smoldering in the fireplace.

"Did I hurt you?" Clarke asked. Lexa smiled and shook her head. Her fingers then tracing a nearly identical bruise on Clarke's throat. "I'm fine." Clarke said softly. "Better than fine."

Clarke and Lexa smiled at each other in silence for a long time after that, Lexa's face a perfect mask of contentment and satisfaction. Inside the roiling turmoil ate away at her though. Her stomach twisted at the thought of what would have happened to Clarke, if her bite had broken the skin and they had bonded. On the other hand, her stomach twisted at the thought of what was most likely going to happen to her, considering her bite didn't break skin, and she was still an omega without leading a pack without being bound to an alpha.

She was distracted by the sensation of Clarke's lips, showering her shoulder and the top of her breast with tiny kisses.

"Clarke." She hummed, letting her troubling thoughts slip from her mind. "Clarke?" She said again when there wasn't any response.

"Shhh." Clarke said. "I wanna make the most out of my night with you."

Lexa laughed. It was glorious sound, like the giggle of an innocent child.

"Clarke, my heat will last for at least three or four more days." Lexa said. "We have plenty of time. Why don't you rest?" They shared a tender smile with each other, and Clarke craned her neck up. Lexa craned her neck down, and they met with a long, tender kiss. Their lips separated, and they began to drift off. As Clarke's breath evened, washing warmth over Lexa's neck. Lexa refused to let her useless worries bother her, and moments later, drifted off into contented sleep as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Clarke woke with a start, sitting bolt upright.

"It's okay." A soft, familiar voice said. "You're safe."

Immediately Clarke felt the tension leave her muscles. It only took a moment for Clarke's eyes to adjust to the pitch black room she had fallen asleep in. The cabin was a small structure, but cozy. Thick heavy drapes hung over the windows, blocking out almost one hundred percent of the sunlight. She was still on the floor on top of a pile of lush silken furs, and one had been pulled over her as a blanket, with the fire place was long since going cold.

She turned her head, looking back over her shoulder to see Lexa standing in the small kitchen, brewing what looked to be some kind of tea.

Lexa poured herself a small cup, and padded gently back over. Clarke's mouth went dry as her eyes took in all of Lexa, wearing apparently nothing but Clarke's button down denim shirt.

She sat down close to Clarke, one foot nestled beneath her, with her other knee raised up close to her chest.

"You didn't pour one for me?" Clarke teased.

A small smiled curled Lexa's lips. "This isn't for you, Clarke." Then she held the cup out towards her. "Smell."

Clarke began leaning forward, but almost instantly her nostrils were filled with a putrid and bitter aroma. "Ugh, God. What is that?" She said, jerking away. "It burns." Her nose scrunched up, and she brought her hand up in a vain attempt to try and prevent herself from smelling anymore.

Lexa's smile broadened, but her cheeks colored a little as well. "It's a contraceptive." She said.

Clarke was suddenly silent, her eyes large, the color draining from her face. "Oh." Was all she could think to say at first. "I guess that answers one of my questions." She said finally.

Lexa's green eyes shone with a glint of amusement from over the edge of her mug, as she took a sip. Lowering it she finally said, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?" She was relaxed now. The previous night had taken the edge off her heat, and she let herself feel comfortable being around Clarke like this.

Clarke opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out at first. "I-I don't even know where to start." She said. She shook her head. Beneath the fur blanket, she tried moving her hand as subtly as possible to her crotch. Her clit was still tender from the night before, but everything seemed to have returned to... normal.

As if she was reading Clarke's mind, Lexa said, "The reaction you had last night was completely normal, Clarke."

"The hell it was." Clarke replied, with more than a little disbelief.

"Let me rephrase, it was normal for a typical female alpha's response to an omega in heat." Explained Lexa.

"So... every female alpha can, what... grow a dick whenever they're around an omega in heat? Just like that?"

"Yes, that's right." Lexa said. "It's necessary for an alpha and an omega to bond."

"What do you mean, bond?" Clarke asked. One of Lexa's hands unconsciously left her mug briefly, her fingers absently brushing the crescent-shaped bruises on her own throat.

"A bond occurs when an alpha decides to take an omega for their mate. The process involves mutual bites, similar to these," she said, indicating her bruises. "Except when bonding, the teeth break the skin, the scar that remains as a result, is a sign indicating to others that they've been claimed, and lasts for as long as the pair is mated." She explained. "Of course the process also involves several rounds of intense love-making, finally resulting in the omega being knotted to the alpha." Her eyebrows twitched slightly, as she spoke the last part in a hushed, but teasing tone.

"Really?" Clarke swallowed audibly. Her cheeks flushed, her chest visibly rising and falling heavily.

"Yes." Lexa said softly. "The bonding process begins with the bite, but it's during that time, while knotted, that the bond fully matures."

"So... if we had bonded last night...?" Clarke started.

"We would have been mated for life." Lexa said, her tone turned almost somber for some reason. "And as the dominant mate, you would have taken over my role as pack alpha as well."

Clarke's eyes grew large again, shaking her head in disbelief. It was as if every new thing she learned surprised her just a little bit more.

"Lexa, I would never try to take your pack from you." Clarke said.

The corner of Lexa's mouth twitched in a now familiar expression. "I know that, Clarke, but neither of us would really have a choice." She said. "Once an alpha and an omega are mated, their roles become more... ingrained. The alpha becomes more jealous and possessive, the omega becomes more obedient and submissive." She explained with a shrug. "Honestly, if we were mated there would be no way I'd be able to run the pack. Even If you didn't want to lead, and I tried to hold my position, I would instinctively begin consulting you on decisions and asking your opinion on pack matters." She shrugged, becoming quiet for a moment. "It would only be a matter of time before my pack realized this, then they'd stop following me anyways."

A heavy silence followed when Lexa stayed quiet, her gaze becoming somewhat distant. Clarke leaned over, putting her hand tenderly on Lexa's knee.

"Hey." She said softly. "We didn't bond last night, remember? It's still your pack." Clarke smiled. "To be honest, I'm not sure I'd want that responsibility anyways."

Lexa forced a smile, blinking her misty eyes several times. "Don't fool yourself, Clarke." She said. "You would make a great leader."

Clarke let out a gentle laugh. "Yeah right, I don't think your pack likes me very much." Clarke said. "I only met them briefly, but Indra practically laughed at me, and Gustus didn't even speak to me."

Lexa raised her eyebrows. "You met Gustus and Indra?" Lexa asked.

"Yeah," Clarke nodded. "Indra was actually the one that told me you were out here."

An slightly cross look passed over Lexa's face. "Did she? It seems I'm going to have to have a word with Indra."

"Why?" Asked Clarke.

"She knows that this is where I come during my heats." Lexa explained. "Partially so I don't drive everyone in the house crazy, but also, and mo importantly, to be alone."

Realization struck Clarke, Indra had been setting her up for something. "Oh my god," Clarke said. "Indra told me you were expecting me."

"What?" Lexa asked. This time she was the one surprised.

"Then when you came to the door naked, I thought... oh my god." Clarke repeated. She was blushing furiously, and Lexa wasn't faring much better. They couldn't look at each other without breaking into large nervous smiles. "Indra totally knew that was gonna happen, didn't she?"

Lexa nodded, "I believe she did."

Clarke couldn't hold back anymore, and once she started Lexa couldn't contain herself either. The awkward tension was too much, and they both had to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.

After a few minutes of nervous laughter, once it was all out of their systems, they had managed to reclaim some of their composure. They sat closer now, Lexa had her arm around Clarke's waist, their bare thighs touching. They came to a pause after both of them had caught their breath. Their eyes met and they realized they were only inches away from each other. They leaned in simultaneously, their lips met and they kissed tenderly, but passionately. It went on for only a moment before their tongues slipped out to meet each other, and danced within the shared space of their open mouths.

After several long moments, they separated to breathe, both smiling and looking into each other's eyes again.

"I think maybe we owe Indra a 'thank you' instead." Clarke said. Lexa's mouth split into a full grin, and they began kissing again.

A harsh buzzing noise sounded from somewhere interrupting them. "It's your phone, Clarke." Lexa said as she pulled away. "It went off several times during the night, as well."

Clarke glanced over to where her shorts were still lying on the floor. She could see the faint glowing of her phone coming from inside the back pocket, but she brought her gaze back to Lexa.

"It's okay." Lexa said, with a small smile. "You should at least see who it is."

By the time Clarke stood, went over to dig her phone from her shorts, and made her way back to the fur bedding, it had stopped ringing. Clarke checked her missed calls though, as she sat back down next to Lexa. She had four, all from her mom. There were also about a dozen text messages, all from her mom as well.

"Shit." Clarke muttered. "I, uh... I guess I should..."

Lexa nodded. "She's worried about you, Clarke. You should go."

"Are you sure?" Clarke asked. "I don't have to, I can stay." She said. She didn't know much about heats and all, but she thought the idea of Lexa being cooped up in this cabin alone through her heat, sounded horrible.

Lexa shook her head, giving Clarke a soft smile. "It's your mom, Clarke. Go talk to her." Clarke was quiet, looking down at her hands. "Hey." Lexa said, reaching out and placing her hands on top of Clarke's. "It's okay, I'll still be here." She said. "That is," she added quickly. "If you'd like to come back."

Clarke's head snapped up, her gaze immediately finding Lexa's. "Of course I'll come back." She said. They kissed another long and passionate kiss, with lips and tongue and teeth.

Lexa finally pulled away with a gasp. "Go. Get dressed before I change my mind." Clarke's smile stretched from ear to ear, she liked that plan, leaning forward in an attempt to recapture Lexa's lips. Lexa pulled away further though, drawing a disappointed and demanding growl from Clarke's chest.

Lexa smacked Clarke playfully on her thigh. "None of that." Lexa said. "That won't work on me. We're not bonded yet."

In an instant a deafening silence fell over them, both blushing heavily at Lexa's casual use of the word 'yet.' Neither of them were entirely sure whether it had been an accidental slip of the tongue or not; Clarke just stood and began getting dressed. Despite the embarrassment turning in her gut, Lexa still couldn't manage to tear her eyes away, watching as each article of clothing was pulled snugly into place over Clarke's amazing body.

The sound of Clarke clearing her throat, brought Lexa out of her daze. She'd been staring right at Clarke, but hadn't realized Clarke had stopped getting dressed and was staring right back at her.

"Yes?" Lexa said finally. Clarke stood there, hands resting firmly on her cocked hips. For a beat she just stood there and stared in silence.

"My shirt?" She said finally.

"Oh" replied Lexa. "Right."

Lexa stood quickly, but then a smile teased her lips. She locked eyes with Clarke and began advancing slowly, letting the sway of her hips draw attention to her seemingly endless legs. She undid the shirt ever so slowly, separating one agonizing snap at a time. Finally she stood before Clarke, completely bare, as Clarke tried to remain composed, standing there in just her shorts and her bra.

Clarke's eyes took in every inch of Lexa's sensuous beauty, as she stood there holding out Clarke's shirt in offering. "It's all yours." Lexa said softly, her voice accentuating every possible meaning over the word 'all.' Clarke's breaths were coming heavy, the flush from her cheeks spread down her neck, and reached the swell of her breasts.

She accepted her shirt without a word, shrugging into it and buttoning up, but only partly.

"Can I ask you something?" Lexa said.

Clarke looked at her incredulously. After everything that had just happened between them, she was still going to ask permission to ask something.

"Of course you can." Clarke said. "Anything."

"Your mom knows you're a werewolf, doesn't she?" Lexa asked.

Clarke was caught off guard, with all the recent flirtatious behavior, she hadn't been expecting Lexa to turn so serious so suddenly. "She does." Clarke said, wondering why Lexa would ask that. Then she considered what it might mean for Lexa and her pack. "She won't say anything, though." Clarke said. "She knows better than that. You can trust her."

Lexa stepped close to Clarke. She chewed her bottom lip and nodded, mostly to herself. "I trust you, Clarke. The fact that you trust her is enough for me." Lexa said. "Not everyone in my pack would agree though, so be careful. Don't let anyone else know that she knows."

Clarke nodded her understanding. "Thank you." She said.

Lexa smiled. She leaned in and gave Clarke one more kiss. It was gentle, but Clarke could feel the hunger building again behind it. "You should go now." Lexa said. Clarke nodded. She could tell that Lexa's heat was beginning to take effect again, and she knew now that the effects of omega pheromones weren't something to take lightly.

"I'll call later." Clarke said. Lexa nodded and Clarke turned and left, letting out a deep breath and inhaling the sweat, fresh air outside. As she walked through the woods, and distanced herself from the cabin, she realized just how potent the smell of sex and pheromones inside had been. She also noticed the subtle, but incessant ache, both in her chest, and lower, that begged Clarke to return to the cabin as soon as possible.

The sun was bright, the sky was clear, and the air comfortably cool. Octavia walked around the square taking her first opportunity to explore the little town properly, after spending the last few days in in her apartment unpacking, and then almost one whole day in bed hung over. She still hadn't talked to her brother about what had happened at the housewarming party, but the truth was she didn't remember most of it. She'd talked to Raven about it, and Raven had told her that she'd completely lost it, but since Raven didn't know exactly what had happened either, it hadn't helped Octavia much at all.

Octavia was feeling pretty lazy, and she looked forward to enjoying it. She had just graduated from high school at the beginning of summer, and with the move and everything, was hoping to take a gap year, before she applied for any kind of college or university. The only problem with that is that she would need to find a job to help her brother out a little, at least with food and her own clothes and things.

She'd found an old signboard on the square, near the gazebo. It was plastered with fliers from the local business, lost pets, used cars for sale, yoga and meditation classes, and people looking for casual labor and laborers. She didn't see anything that looked like a promising opportunity for steady employment. After that, she'd been motivated enough to go in and out of every one of the little shops on the square and ask if they were hiring, but she still had no luck.

She'd just decided to take a break, sitting down on the steps of the gazebo, when she heard the, -tha-thunk-tha-thunk-tha-thunk- of a skateboard rolling over the concrete joints in the sidewalk.

She looked up to see a slender looking kid, almost scrawny, about her age and with short dark hair. He was rolling in her direction, with a few other kids walking with him. Her first thought was, 'why the hell does he have a pair of snowboarding goggles on top of his head in the middle of summer?'

He slowed as he reached the gazebo, dragging one scuffed-up gray shoes on the sidewalk, until he hopped off, and popped the board up into his hand with the other.

"Hey there." He said. "You got a light?"

Octavia shook her head. "Don't smoke." He nodded, but looked disappointed.

"You skate?" He asked. She shook her head again.

"Hmm," He nodded. "Well, you're boring. I'm Jasper." He said.

"You just called me boring, why would I want to know your name?" She said standing up, and preparing to leave.

"Because you could hang out with us, and then you'd be less boring." Jasper said.

"Only by a little." One of Jasper's friends deadpanned, shaking his head.

"Shut up, Monty." Jasper said, slapping Monty's arm with the back of his hand. "So, how about it?"

Octavia had never really been into the whole skater scene. Hell, through high school she hadn't really fit into any scene. She never really had her own clique, because everyone she hung out with, her brother, Raven and Clarke, were always older than her. This was a new town though, and these were the first people she'd met really, and they were nice enough to ask her to join them.

Finally Octavia shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not?" She said with a sigh, following as the whole group started walking again. "So where are we headed?"

"Back to school." Jasper said, seeming way more excited than he should about that. He took a few quick steps, dropped his board and took off down the sidewalk, with a quicker, -tha-thunktha-thunktha-thunktha-thunk-

"He takes some getting used to." Monty admitted. "But he's a good guy really." Monty introduced the others in the group as Maya, Nathan, and Harper, and Octavia introduced herself as well.

She found out that they had all gone to TonDC High School together, except for Maya, Maya had been home schooled up until senior year. They had all just graduated too though, so they were the same year Octavia. Octavia went on to tell them that she had graduated from Arkadia High, and how she had moved to TonDC with her brother.

They left the square, heading diagonally across from Gina's pizza place. The high school was about five minutes down the road, and when they got there they went around to the side of the building. They reached a loading dock for receiving shipments, it was a concrete ledge about four feet off the ground, with a ramp up with a gently sloping rail, and a set of stairs, with a steeper rail.

There was a guy and two girls there, who must have had the same idea as Jasper and his crew, and they all had skateboards too.

"Murphy." Jasper said, not looking too impressed at all at running into the older kid.

"Heya, Jasper old buddy." He said. He hopped down from the loading dock. "Hi there, I'm Murphy." He said, immediately turning his attention to Octavia, when he saw her.

Both of the other girls walked up to stand next him, the one with darker hair draping an arm over Murphy's shoulders. They seemed to look at her as if she gave off some kind of 'new girl' scent, and she was reminded of why she didn't miss high school at all.

"I'm Octavia." She introduced herself, mimicking Jasper's unimpressed tone of voice.

Murphy nodded. If he noticed the edge in her attitude, he didn't let it show at all. "This is Emori," he said indicating the girl that was hanging on him, "and this is Echo." He said. Emori just continued to look at Octavia with a completely unreadable expression, but at least Echo gave her a silent wave.

The awkward introductions were finally interrupted when Monty nudged Jasper with his elbow.

"What?" Jasper said, which Monty answered with a pointed glance. "Oh yeah" He said. "Hey, uh, Murphy? You don't have a lighter we could borrow, do you?"

Murphy smirked, digging into his pocket and tossed a Zippo to Jasper. "I want that back, ya hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya." Jasper replied. Jasper and Monty hurried over to a corner of the loading dock, sitting on the concrete near the brick walls. Octavia took a seat on the steps, and Harper came over to join her.

"Don't smoke pot either?" Harper asked.

Octavia shook her head, with a half smile. "No. I have enough problems when I let myself have beer." She said. "I don't need the extra challenge in my life."

Harper smiled, and nodded.

"What about you?" Octavia asked, wondering why Harper wasn't with her friends, huddled in the corner with their grinder and rolling papers.

Harper shrugged. "Sometimes, but not often. I don't like day-smoking."

Octavia watched as Nathan and Maya had gone a little ways away. Nathan had taken off his backpack, and opened it up on the ground. Octavia noticed that it was full of spray paint cans, and she watched curiously as they added to part of a mural that was already there.

Noticing where Octavia was looking, Harper pitched in, "Yeah, they started that beginning of senior year." She said. "They actually did drafts of it first and got the principal to sign off on it. When they graduated, the principal offered to have some other students come and take over, but Nathan and Maya refused, saying that they wanted to see it through."

Octavia nodded. "My friend, Clarke would really like that. She's an artist." Octavia said absently. "So are they like... together?" Giving an indicating nod in Nathan and Maya's direction. Octavia didn't know why she asked really. It just kind of seemed like they were working really well together at the moment.

Harper laughed. "Oh, no." She said shaking her head. "Nathan is actually with Monty, and Maya is with Jasper."

"Oh," Octavia nodded, "didn't see that coming." As an heavy silence fell after that, she began to realize that she was really bad at small talk when it came to anyone who wasn't Bellamy, Raven or Clarke.

It was almost lunchtime before Clarke made it back to her house. Her phone had continued to ring, and she had continued to ignore it. Her hope was that she could face the brunt of her mom's wrath all at one time and get it over with. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Mom?" She called out. She heard her mom hurrying around from in the kitchen.

"Where the hell have you been?" She asked. She seemed more worried than angry, and Clarke was hoping they could skip the angry and go straight to being relieved that she was safe. She wasn't that lucky though.

When Abby realized her daughter was uninjured, she moved in to give Clarke a hug. That was when she saw the purple and yellow discoloration of a nasty bruise on her daughter's neck.

Clarke was all ready and willing to be wrapped up in her mom's embrace, when her mom suddenly froze. Her eyes narrowing harshly.

"Is that a hicky?" She asked, through gritted teeth. Clarke didn't know how to answer. It was obviously a hicky. There wasn't much she could really say. "You stayed out all night, and had me worried sick, because you were with some guy?" Abby asked, her face growing pink as she grew more angry.

"Technically, it was a girl..." Clarke started.

"I don't care who it was." Abby snapped. "You know that's not the point. I didn't raise you to behave this way."

"You didn't raise me to behave what way?" Clarke asked, her own anger rising. "Like a werewolf?" Normally Clarke was good at keeping a lid on her emotions. Whenever her mom had been angry with her before, Clarke would always just bite the bullet and take the lecture and whatever punishment her mom saw fit, but today that wasn't happening for some reason.

Abby had been shocked by her daughter's reaction as well, and she really didn't know how to respond, but Clarke continued before she could anyway.

"You know what mom? You're absolutely right." Clarke said. "You didn't raise me to behave like a werewolf, because you don't have the first clue what it's like. There is no possible way you can imagine what I'm going through. There are so many questions I have, so many things I need to know about myself, and even though you want to help me with it, you can't, because you don't have any fucking idea."

Abby's face was red, her eyes were large. She was both shocked and furious at her daughter's use of language and that her daughter would use that tone.

"Listen to me young..." Abby said, trying to regain some traction.

"No!" Clarke shot back with a growl. "Did you know, I met... I..." Clarke was inches away from revealing not only Lexa as a werewolf, but also the others as well, her entire pack. She bit her tongue just in time. Her chest was heaving. She realized her hands had curled into fists at her sides. Apparently Abby had noticed too, as the color had drained from her face. Clarke took several more deep breaths, trying to calm herself before continuing.

"I met another werewolf." She said finally, as calmly as possible. "I can't tell you her name. I can't promise you'll meet her, at least not until she feels she's ready. She understands me though, better than I understand myself. She has the answers I need, and whether you like it or not, I will see her again." Clarke had to stop herself form inserting the word 'often,' at the end of that. After all, there was no need to rub her mom's nose it.

Abby finally just collapsed, slumping back onto the couch. Clarke's breathing had almost returned to normal, as she stood there, the whole conversation ran through her head over and over again. There was no way she could take any of it back now, and to be honest, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to. She had been harsher than she had wanted with her mom, but they were still things that her mom had needed to hear.

Abby sat there silently, a surreal calmness settling over h, in contrast with her clenched jaw, and the tears streaming slowly, but steadily down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, mom." Was all Clarke could think to say, before disappearing upstairs.

As soon as she reached the safety of her room, she pulled out her phone. Her first impulse was to text Lexa, but didn't know whether she should or not.

Several times, Clarke started typing something, just to delete it entirely. They'd already spent the night together, she shouldn't be nervous about sending a simple text. She realized she didn't really know Lexa though. She felt like she did, in a way, but when she really thought about it, she realized that they'd only met four days ago.

'What the hell am I doing?' Clarke thought. 'I just got in the worst fight ever with my mom, all over someone I've known for four days?'

Clarke collapsed onto the edge of her bed. She let out a deep breath, and then collapsed flat onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, her golden hair splayed out around her head. She laid like that for a long time, it seemed. Thoughts whizzing through her head, her emotions in turmoil. She may have only known Lexa for four days, but what she had told her mom had been absolutely true. 'She understands me though, better than I understand myself. She has the answers I need...' The words echoed in Clarke's head. It didn't matter what she felt for Lexa sexually or romantically, she told herself, she needed Lexa so that she could find out who she was now. Realizing this, it dawned on her, that the rest was true as well. She would see Lexa again, whether her mom liked it or not. 'Often,' a little voice whispered in the back of her head, because whether she chose to acknowledge it or not, she couldn't ignore the connection she already shared with Lexa either.

Octavia was still at the school, hanging out with the skater crew. She'd moved over to the grass, sitting near where Nathan and Maya were working on their mural. Jasper and Murphy had gotten into some kind of trick competition. Emori and Echo, sitting on their skateboards up on the loading dock watching. Murphy was way better, but Octavia figured it probably wasn't a fair contest considering Jasper was pretty stoned. He was still functioning and everything, but it was obvious he wasn't a hundred percent, even Octavia could see that.

After Murphy won, he picked up his skateboard and waved a casual goodbye to everyone, Emori stood and joined him, as they were about to head off. "You comin'?" He asked Echo.

"Nah," she said. "I got someone comin' to pick me up." She replied. Murphy nodded and then they left. Echo came over, deciding to hang out with Jasper and Monty's crew until her ride showed up.

The casual conversation flowed pretty easily, Octavia mostly just listening. It seemed that everyone had a story of Jasper almost blowing himself up in chemistry class, and even Echo who had been two years ahead of them, had heard of some of the stories already.

Nathan was a prankster, who one time wrapped the principal's entire car in cling-film, and Monty was some kind of genius with computers, who was well known for hacking teacher's emails and getting copies of tests before the tests were given. It seemed like everyone in the group was a delinquent of some kind, that is except Maya, who even by Octavia's standards seemed kind of boring, but Octavia kept her opinions to herself. Maya was pretty into her art though, 'maybe her and Clarke should hang out sometime.' Octavia thought.

Echo ended up being nicer than Octavia had first given her credit for, and they ended up talking for a good while. Octavia happened to mention that she was looking for a job, and Echo said that she had a friend who was looking for some hired help.

"What kind of job is it?" Octavia asked.

Just then a black Chevy Impala pulled around the corner, honking its horn once. Echo looked up, not replying as the car rolled to smooth stop and a woman with dark skin and darker eyes got out of the driver's side.

"Echo." She said. Echo nodded. Just then, to Octavia's surprise, Lincoln got out of the front passenger's side.

"Octavia?" He said. To say she was surprised to see him would be putting it mildly, but luckily she wasn't the only one expressing surprise.

"You two know each other?" Echo asked.

"She's my partner's sister, we met at the housewarming." He said. "And she's Clarke's friend."

Octavia thought it was a little odd that he would bring up Clarke. As far as she knew Echo and Clarke had never met before, and he'd only met Clarke that one time. By now Indra, Lincoln, and Echo were all standing together by Indra's car, and echo seemed to remember their conversation that had been interrupted.

"Oh, this is the friend I was telling you about." Echo said to Octavia. "Indra, this is Octavia, she's looking for a job."

Indra's gaze barely flicked to Octavia, her expression remaining oppressively unimpressed. Octavia clenched her jaw, tilting her chin up refusing to let herself feel intimidated.

"We need to go." Indra told Echo. Echo opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it again. She nodded and moved to towards the car, glancing over her shoulder to give Octavia an apologetic look as she climbed into the back seat. Lincoln moved back to the car too, pausing as he opened the passenger side door.

"We'll talk later." He said to Octavia. Octavia nodded. Indra was the last to turn towards the car, but paused, and looked over her shoulder.

"Octavia, is it?" Indra said, her voice toneless, giving nothing away.

"Uh, yeah, that's right." Octavia said.

"If you want a job, get in the car."

"Indra." Lincoln said in a hushed tone. He gave a slight shake of his head in obvious disagreement, but Indra ignored him.

Octavia looked briefly around her new group of friends, and they were looking at her like it was the worst possible idea ever. Setting her jaw again, she stood, wiping the grass from her butt and hurrying to the rear passenger door behind Lincoln. Lincoln completely avoided her gaze as he climbed into the car with a sour expression on his face. Echo though, gave her a small smile when Octavia slid into the backseat next to her.

They pulled away from the school in complete silence. They dove back into town, passed the square and headed north.

"Where are we going?" Octavia asked. Indra's eyes caught hers in the rear view mirror.

"North." She said.

"Okay..." Octavia replied. "What kind of job is this?" There was no answer. She looked to Echo, who just kind of raised her hands up in a shrug, tilting her head from side to side, as if she didn't know how to explain it.

"Animal control." Lincoln said finally. "There have been reports of wolf sightings." He explained. "We need to investigate, see if there's any evidence to support the claims, and determine the most prudent solution, if the reports are true."

"Do you have any tracking experience?" Indra asked. 'Tracking experience?' Octavia thought. Did she look like Davey-friggin-Crockett?

"Uh, no." She said. Indra hummed a wordless reply that said she had expected as much. "I can learn though." Said Octavia, sounding more defensive than she'd meant to. For the first time, Octavia thought she saw the hint of a smile on Indra's face. Whether it was completely benevolent or not though, Octavia couldn't be sure.

They drove for what must have been more than forty minutes, turning from the small rural road, that only had one lane in each direction, onto an even smaller road. They rode on in silence for about another twenty minutes, before Indra finally pulled off onto the gravel shoulder.

Octavia followed everyone else's lead as they opened their doors and climbed out of the car. Looking around, she noticed that they were on the edge of a field. The grass in most ares was nearly head-high, but it cut clearly through the thick forest that lined both sides of it, and continued on both sides of the road. That was when she looked overhead and caught sight of the power lines that ran across the street in the same direction as the field.

"We go on foot from here." Indra said.

'Oh good.' Octavia thought.

Indra led the way pushing into the grass at what appeared to be an arbitrary point at the edge of the field. At least it seemed arbitrary at first, then Octavia realized that they were following something that could possible resemble the slightest hint of a trail.

"Your friend is, uh... a little intense." Octavia said in a hushed tone over her shoulder. Echo, who had brought up the rear of their line, replied with a big grin.

"A little?"

They continued on a ways, the not-really-a-trail, trail they were following reaching the edge of the woods. Indra, Lincoln and Echo spread out across some invisible line, like a formation that they seemed to have a lot of practice with. Octavia stayed close to Echo for now.

"So why do you come all the way out here?" Octavia asked. "I mean, are they even paying you?"

"Ppht, yeah right." Echo rolled her eyes. "Indra's like my foster mom though." She said, the admiration could be heard in her voice. "Yeah, she can be a pain sometimes, but she's taught me a lot." They continued on and kept looking, even though Octavia had no idea what she was looking for.

"Here," Echo said, stepping over to her left a bit, and squatting on her heels. "See this?" She said, pointing to two indentations in the ground. Octavia nodded. "Deer tracks. By the depth, and the sharpness of the edges, I'd say no more than four hours old. "She looked a little ways up ahead, and pointed out another one. "And judging by how close they are, it wasn't moving very fast either." Echo looked up, and found a young tree, with thin green branches bare of leaves. "Grazing as it went. See?"

Octavia had to admit she was pretty impressed.

"Indra taught me that. Stick with her, and try to stay on her good side, and she can teach you a lot more." Octavia nodded. "We should get going," said Echo. "Don't wanna fall behind."

Octavia hadn't thought it was so hot in the morning, when she was sitting around watching people skate. After half a day though of traipsing through the woods though, her shirt clung to her body and she felt the sweat trailing down the back of her neck. Instead of complaining though, Octavia instead picked up her step, so that she could pull up alongside Indra while they walked. "Why did you let me come with you?" She asked.

"You said you needed a job." Indra replied, not taking her eyes off the forest ahead of her. "And I needed someone to work with me."

"What about Lincoln?" Octavia asked.

"Lincoln is a cop. He can't trek all the way out here with me everyday. He has a job to do." Explained Indra.

"What about echo?" Octavia asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm confused." Said Indra. "I thought you wanted this job."

"I do." Octavia replied, though she wasn't sure why she did.

"Good," Indra said, her gaze still focused straight ahead. "Because I can just as easily send you back to the car to wait there. So tell me, do you want to turn around and start walking, or do you want to learn something?" Indra asked.

"By all means," Octavia said, "enlighten me." Replied Octavia. Again she thought she could make out the ghost of a smile cross Indra's lips, but it was gone before she could be sure. Indra then raised her left hand signaling something to Lincoln, and he and Echo split off, heading further to the left.

Clarke was still up in her room. It was late now, after sunset, and she had kept herself locked away, successfully avoiding her mother for the rest of the day. Not that her mother was of the mind to seek her out either at the moment. She'd showered and had changed into her PJs by two in the afternoon. Clarke still hadn't texted Lexa, but she did remember that she had told Lexa she'd call. She figure Lexa deserved that much at least.

Clarke picked up the phone and tapped Lexa's contact info. Lexa answered on the second ring.

"Unf... hello." Lexa said.

"Uh, are you alright?" Clarke asked.

"Yes, Clarke. Perfect." Lexa's voice was low and silky, and she sounded half asleep. 'Oh.' Clarke thought as she had a pretty good idea what Lexa had been doing.

"Do you need me to come over?" Clarke teased. Silence. Well, mostly silence. Clarke could still hear Lexa's breathing on the other end of the line, and could picture the rosy flush of heat spreading down Lexa's throat and over the swell of her chest.

"How'd things go with your mom?" Lexa asked, after swallowing the hard lump in her throat. That definitely sounded like a 'yes,' to Clarke, but she put it aside to answer the question.

"Um, could've gone better." She said, unable to conceal the emotion in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Clarke. I can tell how important her opinion is to you." Said Lexa.

"It's okay." Clarke said. "We'll work it out. We're just seeing things differently right now. You know, 'cause I'm a werewolf, and she's not."

They talked for several more minutes, and after enough prompting from Lexa, Clarke told her a detailed account of what she'd told her mother. She tried to explain to Lexa how she felt, the things she'd said about Lexa, without sounding like a love-sick puppy, but it was harder than she thought. Luckily though Lexa didn't once question or tease, and once that subject was exhausted, she easily switched to talking about something else.

Lexa had remembered at one point when they had first met, wondering what Clarke's plans had been before the attack that turned her, and Clarke spent a good long while going on about her education, and how everything she had done throughout high school, except perhaps her art courses, had been done to get her into medical school.

"I didn't know you were an artist." Lexa said, surprised. Clarke blushed silently.

"I try." She replied finally.

"I guess you were right. We really don't know each other, huh?" Lexa said.

"Yeah," Clarke nodded, "but we're working on that now, right?" She said, a smile splitting and curling her lips.

"I'd love to see your work sometime." Lexa said softly.

"You will." Replied Clarke in promise. They were both silent for several moments, just listening to the calming sound of the other's breathing. When Clarke decided to broach a more intimate subject.

"So, uh... how's your heat?" She said, wincing when she heard the words out loud. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "Is that even something I should ask?"

Lexa's reply was simply a laugh. A delightful, bubbly laugh, that twisted Clarke's insides all up in funny knots.

"Considering you are at the top of a very short list of people who I would prefer to have help me with my heat, then yes, I guess its appropriate." Lexa replied.

"Wait... there's a list?" Clarke asked, feigning shock and offense.

Lexa laughed again. "Aw, come on now Clarke, don't get jealous on me."

"Who else is on this list?" She asked, "just out of curiosity?"

"Well, if it's just out of curiosity..." Lexa began. "Then I can tell you that there is this blonde, that I just met, about four days ago. Um... there's this werewolf girl, but she has no idea what she's doing, because she's only been a werewolf for like a month... oh, and there's this artist, but I don't know much about her, because she hasn't even let me see any of her work yet."

Clarke felt herself blush furiously at Lexa's reply, her chest feeling tight, and a familiar warmth blooming between her legs. The next words out of Lexa's mouth were barely a whisper, and if Clarke wasn't a werewolf, she wasn't even sure if she would've been able to hear them.

"Do you want to come over?" Lexa's smoky voice rang in Clarke's ears despite the softness with which she spoke, and her throat was so tight she couldn't even speak right away.

"Hell yes." She choked out finally. They hurriedly said their goodbyes, and Clarke hung up her phone. She practically leapt from her bed, stopping halfway to her bedroom door, when she caught a look of herself in the mirror. She was wearing just sweats and a tank top and her hair was a mess.

"Gah." She said out loud, running to her closet. She quickly changed out of her sweats, putting on panties and a casual black skirt. She left her white spaghetti-string tank-top on, and quickly brushed out her hair, then put on the same boots she'd worn to the Blake's housewarming party, and headed downstairs.

Her mom sat at the counter, a full glass, and a half empty bottle of red wine in front of her.

"You headed out?" She asked, not turning her head to look at her daughter. She sounded tired, more than anything, Clarke noted.

"Yeah," Clarke replied softly. "I'll probably be spending the night again."

Abby turned her gaze to her daughter then, giving her a once over. Seeing how she was dressed, she lifted her eyebrows derisively and turned her attention back to her wine glass.

"Have fun." She said in a toneless voice, lifting the glass to her lips, and taking a big swallow. Clarke chewed her bottom lip for a moment, but left without a word. She wished she could think of something that would begin repairing the rift that was between them, but she couldn't come up with anything.

'There's no use thinking about that now.' She told herself, and as she slipped through the trees once more, her thoughts returned to Lexa and the realization that she'd soon be back in Lexa's arms, sent a thrill through her body that she couldn't begin to describe.

Just like the day before, Clarke was struck by a wave of Lexa's pheromones, before she even reached the cabin. The affects seemed even more intense than the day before, if that was at all possible. Or maybe it was just that Clarke's anticipation had her wound tighter, because she knew what to expect this time. Again, Lexa came to answer the door right as Clarke approached. She wasn't naked this time, instead she wore a white long-sleeve, button-down shirt, and nothing else. Clarke was almost one hundred percent sure that that was for her benefit. She obviously saw the way Clarke had practically drooled over her, when she had seen Lexa wearing her button-down shirt early that morning. 'God was it really just this morning?' Clark thought.

Lexa's eyes locked on Clarke's both had blown out pupils, that took in every inch of the other. Clarke licked her perpetually dry lips, already feeling the bulge in her panties, begin to grow against her skirt. She tried not to blush as it twitched when she consciously acknowledged it.

They stepped into each other's embrace, lips trailing languidly over lips, noses brushing together intimately.

"Oh god." Lexa breathed. She felt the curl of Clarke's lips as she smiled against her own. Suddenly, Clarke's hands were on the back of her thighs, just below her ass, then she lifted with almost no effort. Lexa gasped, reflexively wrapping her legs around Clarke's waist, a helpless giggle escaping, as her arms clung tightly around Clarke's neck, and she buried her face in Clarke's shoulder.

Clarke carried her quickly over to the couch, where she set Lexa down gently, laying herself down, mostly on top of her. She kissed Lexa deeply, passionately, for a long time. Her hands ran all over Lexa's body, feeling curves and arches, that she ached to grow more familiar with. Lexa, tilted her head back with a gasp, breaking the kiss as one of Clarke's hands trailed lightly over a firm nipple, threatening to poke through the shirt she wore. Clarke took the opportunity to turn her attention away from Lexa's mouth, trailing wet kisses along her prominent jawline up to her ear, she nibbled the soft, sensitive lobe briefly before continuing back down Lexa's neck. She trailed her teeth tenderly over the bruise on Lexa's throat and continued down towards the collar of her shirt. The whole time Clarke had been focusing her mouth on Lexa's soft, smooth skin, her hands had been trying to work the buttons open of Lexa's shirt. By the time her mouth had caught up though, she'd only managed to open two of them and she was growing impatient. He fingers fumbled hastily with the stubborn plastic things, and she heard Lexa let out a soft giggle.

"Having problems?" She 's eyes flicked up to meet Lexa's, they were dark and heavy with arousal, and it was obvious she was in no mood to be teased. Grabbing both edges of the shirt and holding them tightly in her fists, Clarke gave a hard tug, those vain little plastic things bouncing off the walls and floor, clattering in protest. The sensation dragged a moan from Lexa's lips, her back arching slightly, offering even more of her now exposed breasts to Clarke, which had been the entire goal from the start.

She licked and sucked and nibbled down over, around the sides, and even along the bottoms of Lexa's breasts, but avoided direct contact with her hard, dark nipples for as long as possible. Lexa was letting out a series and moans and gasps now, her chest rising and falling beneath Clarke's mouth, in a silent, but eager plead for more. Finally Clarke obliged her, taking one between her lips, while she gripped the other between her first and middle fingers, her whole hand fondling the breast.

"Oh yes, Clarke." Lexa sighed. Clarke moved her hand squeezing a little harder, getting another similar, but more intense sigh from Lexa. She moved her hand yet again, this time squeezing the hard little nub between her thumb and forefinger. The sound that escaped Lexa's lips most closely resembling a high-pitched little yelp.

"Good?" Clarke murmured, "or too much?"

"More." Lexa breathed, "God, I want more." Clarke's lips curled into a devilish smile, as her lips released and her teeth gently took their place. She squeezed it gently between her teeth, while her tongue gave it a fierce lashing. A loud, 'Ooooooh,' escaped Lexa's lips, and moments later was repeated, when Clarke moved her mouth to the other nipple. She switched back and forth a few times, before finally continuing her southward journey. Her mouth paid plenty attention to Lexa's ribs and abs and adorable little bellybutton, while her hands started by sliding up and down Lexa's sides, then up and down Lexa's arms, and as Clarke's teeth grazed Lexa's hip bone, their hands instinctively found each other's and their fingers interlocked tightly together.

Lexa's hips were already moving with a sensual rhythm, rolling and lifting off the sofa, trying to make contact with anything that would satisfy that primal animal craving she felt deep in her gut. Well, below her gut. Between her legs. Now Clarke's mouth was sooo close. She let out a desperate whine of need every time Clarke's lips would get close, or every time her hot, wet tongue trailed its way up her thigh. Every time though, Clarke pulled away with that same grin. She was going to drive Lexa insane at this rate. She knew her pussy lips must be red and puffy. She knew her juices must be leaking out of her by know. She was certain she could feel them, pooling on the slick leather of the sofa beneath her ass. Her eyes were screwed tight shut, silently begging for Clarke to hurry the fuck up. When suddenly she felt the wet heat hit her, it was quick and then gone, but by the time she opened her eyes and brought her head back down to meet Clarke's gaze it happened again, sending a jolt of pleasure through her that caused her to toss her head right back to where it was.

"Shit..." She moaned, in a deep husky voice, dripping with so much lust she could barely recognize it as her own. Several more times, Clarke's tongue quickly lit over Lexa's slit, not even pushing between her lips. not at first anyway. Lexa realized that every time, the pressure from Clarke's tongue was a little more incessant. Soon, she had her tongue gently plying it's way between Lexa's soft folds, her rich aroma and flavor threatening to overwhelm Clarke's senses.

Her tongue was plunging deeply into Lexa now, as deeply as she could, reveling in that flavor and taking in as much as she could. Lexa's hips now were bucking so, that Clarke had to finally break her hands free of Lexa's white knuckle grip. She held Lexa down with one hand on her abdomen, and her tongue was taking a brief break, so she could suck a finger seductively into her mouth. Lexa groaned in anticipation of what was coming next, her hips reflexively attempting to thrust up toward Clarke's hand, as her one finger pressed gently against the ring of muscle at her opening. The invading digit slid in easily thanks to the copious amount of liquid already dripping from Lexa's quivering lips. Clarke quickly inserted a second finger, and quickly began to piston her wrist. Her mouth settled over Lexa's swollen clit, her lips sucking it gently, her tongue slipping over it not as gently. Clarke curled her fingers feeling Lexa getting closer and closer. Lexa's hands tangled in Clarke's thick blonde locks, her thighs squeezed tightly over Clarke's ears. Clarke could barely breath, but she didn't care. As she finally felt all the muscles in Lexa's body tense beneath her hand, She pulled her fingers out of Lexa's slick tunnel, and replaced them with her mouth. Lexa came hard on Clarke's tongue, her hot liquid pleasure spilling out around Clarke's mouth, but Clarke continued licking and swallowing as much as she could, until every shock and spasm stilled, and Lexa laid there breathing heavily.

Finally Clarke lifted her head, her chin glistening with Lexa's come. Lexa reached down, cupping Clarke's face, and adamantly pulled her back on top of her to kiss and lick her clean of her own juices.

By now Clarke's hardness was aching with need. She was dripping pre-come with every pulse that sent a twitch through her cock, and the soft material of her skirt, clung to the damp swollen head of her shaft. Now that she was back on top of Lexa, she couldn't help but eagerly reach down, and try to align herself with Lexa's opening.

"Wait." Lexa gasped. "...In bed ...take me to bed, Clarke." Clarke froze, looking down at her, feeling her cock throb with an amount of desire she didn't even know was possible until she heard those words slip past Lexa's lips. Lexa returned her gaze, her big green eyes shining brightly in the darkness.

Clarke easily lifted Lexa up into her arms again, this time distracted by the hot wetness dripping from between Lexa's thighs, over the smooth surface of her hard dick. The rest of the night was mostly a blur. A hot sweaty blur, as their world closed in around them, leaving just Clarke and Lexa, Lexa and Clarke. Their bodies. Their passion. Their pleasure. Everything was reduced to the feeling of Lexa's lips, sucking lovingly on Clarke's nipple. Everything was reduced to the feeling of Clarke's thickness, filling Lexa over and over again. They came so painfully close to claiming each other again, as Clarke's knot swelled and her teeth tried squeezing together on Lexa's throat. Lexa gasped, but as her orgasm ripped through her, she jerked her head away. The rippling pleasure, convulsing violently over Clarke's cock quickly sent her over the edge as well, and the two collapsed into a slick sweaty heap, both waiting for their breath to come at a normal rate before speaking.

Clarke's eyes trailed up to Lexa's face, shocked to see tears streaming silently down Lexa's cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Clarke." She said. Her voice soft and fragile, breaking as she spoke. Clarke was speechless. Her heart swelled with the hurt and sorrow in Lexa's voice, all she could think about was trying to make Lexa better.

"It's okay." She said, trying to be equally tender. She knew it wasn't okay. Something was definitely not okay, but she wouldn't pressure Lexa to tell her anything that she wasn't ready to share yet. She slid off of Lexa's body, wrapping her arm tightly around her. Lexa rolled onto her side, and nestled her back snuggly up against Clarke's soft body.

The next morning Clarke was awake first. She inhaled deeply, nestling her nose into Lexa's thick brown hair. Lexa squirmed and began to stir, but Clarke just held her closer.

"Shhh." She said. "Its okay."

Lexa squirmed some more, finally managing to turning over in Clarke's tight embrace.

"About last night." Lexa said softly.

Clarke shook her head. "You don't need to explain."

"I want to." Said Lexa, her jade eyes brimming wetly. Clarke nodded for her continue, but waited patiently as Lexa gathered her thoughts. "I was mated, once before." Lexa started slowly. She took a deep breath, in through the nose, and let it out through her mouth. "Her name was Costia." Her eyes lifted again to meet Clarke's as she visibly swallowed the lump in her throat. Clarke wanted to wait for Lexa to explain, but she felt as if Lexa was prompting her to ask the question.

"I thought wolves mated for life?" Clarke said. Lexa nodded.

"For life." She repeated. "After death, the scar eventually fades." Clarke felt her heart drop. She reached up tenderly and brushed away the tears with the tender pad of her thumb. Lexa tilted her head into Clarke's hand. There was so much Lexa wished she could explain. So much that she was scared to explain. Costia had been the alpha. When she died, the laws stated that another alpha should have stepped up to replace her, but Lexa refused, taking the role of leadership upon herself. The only reason that her pack had respected her leadership this long, was because she hadn't submitted to another alpha since Costia's death. Now, she had submitted. She had submitted to Clarke, but not been claimed, and she knew that it could cost her all the respect that she still clung to as the self-appointed Alpha of her pack.

She also knew though that if Clarke and her were mated, every alpha up and down the east coast would come to challenge her. She'd only been turned a month ago, the others would smell blood in the water. There was no way she'd be able to protect Clarke. Lexa closed her eyes, the tears coming steadily now, as she nestled her head into Clarke's shoulder and Clarke muttered sweat nothings into Lexa's dark mane.

They dozed off and on like that for about half the morning, finally waking when Clarke apologetically unfurled herself from around Lexa, and said she had to pee. Lexa smiled and let her up, and when she got back, Lexa was finishing buttoning up the white shirt she'd worn the night before.

"Mmnnn." Clarke hummed appreciatively, receiving a backwards glance over the shoulder from Lexa. Lexa tried to look annoyed, but that held for like one millisecond before her bottom lip was taken between her teeth and the corner of her mouth twitched up into a grin.

Clarke approached and began to say something, but Lexa's face suddenly blanched, her eyes grew wide, and she rushed past Clarke to the dresser. She pulled out a pair of jeans, and struggled to get them on as quickly as possible.

"Lexa?" Clarke asked. "Lexa what's wrong?"

"Stay here, Clarke." She said, with enough force to actually startle Clarke. It was a tone that Clarke had never heard her use before, not even when Clarke had tried to fight her the first day they had met. Lexa was already out the door and running towards the house.

Clarke was still naked, and she dressed as quickly as she could, but whatever was out there, there was no way she was going to let Lexa face it alone. When Clarke finally caught up with Lexa, at the stone patio of the main house, she was standing facing an older woman, the two squared off about ten feet apart. The was tall and slender, but carried a power about her. Her piercing gray eyes felt like they were burning into her soul when they fell upon Clarke. The backwards glance that Lexa gave Clarke over her shoulder was very different this time.

"And who's this?" The woman asked, sniffing the air. She let out a harsh laugh. "My, my... some things never change, eh... Commander?" The title of respect dripped with sarcasm from the woman's tongue like acid, and Clarke felt her jaw clench defensively when the woman insulted Lexa.

"What do you want, Nia?" Lexa asked. Her voice like ice.

"You always did aim so high." The woman continued, ignoring Lexa's question. "But on your own, look at you. What have you been reduced to? Where is the rest of your pack, anyway? I was able to just walk right in." The woman let out a sigh. "You know, Costia..."

"That's enough." Clarke said, stepping forward before Lexa could stop her. Before Clarke even realized what she was doing. "I'm the alpha here now" Clarke said. It wasn't true, but it wasn't exactly a lie either. She had every intention of becoming Lexa's alpha... eventually... when Lexa was ready. "It's time for you to go. Get out of my territory."

Nia gave her a smirk that chilled Clarke to the bone. It was obvious that her and Lexa weren't mated, it was obvious that neither had been claimed by the other, but Clarke held firm, her gaze not once leaving Nia's. Nia's amused expression flicked from Clarke to Lexa and then back to Clarke before she simply gave Clarke an oddly polite, shallow bow and did as she was told. She turned and she left, with that same disconcerting smirk still on her face. Once she was out of sight, Clarke turned back to Lexa, not expecting the hard glare that greeted her.

"You should not have done that!" Lexa said harshly. Her eyes angrily boring into Clarke's.

"I wasn't gonna just stand by and watch..." Clarke said, defending her actions.

"What were you thinking?" Lexa said, turning. "You're a target now." Lexa began pacing. "You should go."

"What?" Clarke replied. Not understanding at all.

"You can't be here when Nia comes back, because she will come back, and I won't let another person I love die for me." Lexa said, unsuccessfully swallowing down the sob caught in throat.

"Lexa, no one is going to die..." Clarke started.

"She killed Costia!" Lexa growled, pointing a finger in the direction Nia had walked off in. Clarke felt the blood drain from her face. She'd never seen the amount of hurt and anger in anyone's eyes that she saw in Lexa's at that moment. "You have no idea what you've just done." She said, her voice suddenly shaky as she shook her head.

"Lexa, please..."

"Just go." Lexa said coldly, turning her back on Clarke. "Go!" The harsh tone of Lexa's voice physically stung Clarke, and for several moments she couldn't breathe. What was happening? She opened her mouth, but by the time she did, Lexa had already reached the house, entered, and slammed the back door behind her. Clarke felt as if she was under a crushing amount of weight. Drowning. Her mind not responding to anything, her body felt completely numb. She staggered away from the house, reaching the tree-line before she even realized she'd turned and left, but then she was running. She ran faster and harder than she had ever ran before. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, blurring her vision. How she made it through the woods without killing herself, she didn't know. She didn't even make it to the line of Lexa's territory before suddenly stopping in her tracks. Her mind was racing, finally catching up with her. Was it possible? Yes, it was. She had just made the worst decision of her life.

Immediately she turned on her heels and ran even faster, if that was possible, back to Lexa's house. She didn't stop until she reached the back door, nearly colliding with it at the same time as her fist began banging on it furiously.

"Lexa!" She called out. "Lexa, open up!" No answer. She quickly ran around to the front. Twisting the knob she found the front door unlocked. "Lexa?" She called out again, as she entered the foyer. She frantically went from room to room, first exploring the first floor, and then heading upstairs to the second. There was no sign of Lexa though. 'Where could she have gone? I only left for...' Immediately a dark cloud came over her expression. "Azgeda." She said in a low, rumbling growl. "Nia."

"Lexa?" Clarke heard the voice coming from down stairs. In an instant, she was on her feet and down the hall. She vaulted the hallway railing, landing in a crouch in the foyer in front of a woman that was easily as lean and hard as Lexa. She was slightly taller, with even stronger features. A nose, jawline and cheekbones, that could have been carved of marble.

"Who the hell are you?" Asked Clarke, her hands itching to wrap around someone's throat.

"My name is Anya."


	4. Bad Moon Rising

"My name is Anya."

Clarke stood there, silently regarding the stranger. Her feet were slightly spread, her weight was centered, her fists still clenched at her sides.

"You must be Clarke." The woman said. That startled Clarke, catching her off guard, causing her long enough pause to catch the familiar undertones of the woman's scent. She was part of Lexa's pack.

"Lexa's not here." Clarke said, her voice hollow as she finally straightened. She shook her head, a quiver in her bottom lip. "God, what have I done?" She said quietly.

"Clarke, tell me what happened." Anya said.

"Nia was here. I, um... I provoked her. I was defending Lexa, but..." Clarke shook her head again and began pacing. "I thought Nia had left, and I was only gone for a minute, but when I got back Lexa was gone..."

"Clarke," Anya said, trying to calm the blonde girl down a bit. "It's okay." She said. "I don't think Nia took Lexa." Clarke stopped, her head snapped up, her gaze meeting Anya's

"What do you mean?" Clarke asked. Anya nodded her head out in the direction of the driveway.

"Lexa's jeep is gone, Clarke" Anya said. "You met Nia. Does she really seem like the type of person that would try and cover it up if she were going to abduct someone?"

Clarke had to admit, that didn't really sound like Nia's style. Nia would have probably trashed the place just to send a message, and then painted a ransom note on the wall... in blood, probably.

"What would make Lexa leave in the middle of her heat though?" Clarke asked finally. " Where would she have gone?"

Anya looked thoughtfully at Clarke for a moment before saying finally, "Come with me."

Before Clarke could question her, Anya was out the door and headed to her car. Clarke followed, noticing that Anya's blacked-out Dodge Charger had lights concealed in the grill and above the rearview mirror.

"You a cop too?" Clarke asked, as she climbed into the passenger seat, remembering that Lincoln worked for the local department. Anya was in the driver's side, twisting around her seat, she pulled out her laptop.

"F.B.I." She said.

"Impressive." Replied Clarke. Anya, opened up her computer and pulled up a program.

"Here," Anya said. "This is the last phone call Lexa received."

"You tapped her phone?" Clarke said, couldn't help but sound a bit defensive. Anya stopped what she was doing, turning her gaze on Clarke, give her a hard stare.

"Clarke, I took the position at the F.B.I. so that if it was ever necessary, I would have the ability and recourses, to protect and defend my pack, the people I care about. Unfortunately, it looks like that day is here, and I'm sure as hell not going to apologize for being prepared for it."

"Is that how you knew my name?" Clarke asked. Anya shook her head.

"Lexa is like a sister to me, we tell each other almost everything." She said. Clarke was quiet. She couldn't help but wonder, how much 'almost everything,' actually meant. "Except when it came to you." She continued. "She only mentioned you once, and I'm pretty sure that was by accident." Anya smiled to herself. "When I tried to push for more information she shot me down, hard. That's how I knew it was serious." Anya's smile turned to Clarke with that. "Besides, her smell is literally all over you."

Clarke's blush turned her entire face scarlet, and she fell silent until she could finally feel her cheeks returning to their normal temperature. She chewed her bottom lip, but nodded indicating the computer. "Alright, let's hear it." She said.

Anya hit play on the audio file. It was a recording of a voicemail left on Lexa's phone, and Clarke recognized the caller's voice as Lincoln's.

"Lexa, look I know I shouldn't be calling now... with your heat... but this is urgent. Indra and I have found something. I don't think Azged-gaahhh!" There was a heavy crackling sound of static, and Lincoln screaming in what could only be pure agony. Clarke had met Lincoln, and she couldn't even imagine anything could make him scream like that. The recording went silent. Clarke, looking to Anya as she typed furiously on her computer.

"What do we do?" Clarke asked. Anya paused for only a minute, looking at Clarke, and then back at her computer.

"I installed low-jack devices on the pack members cars." She said quickly, not looking up again, in order to avoid another of Clarke's offended gazes. "Here." She said finally, practically tossing the computer onto Clarke's lap and turning her key in the ignition.

Clarke turned the screen so that she could see, it was a map, with two blinking dots on it, one red and one blue.

"What am I looking at exactly?" Clarke asked.

"The red dot is Indra's car, the blue dot is Lexa's." Gravel shot from beneath the tires as Anya fishtailed, making her way out of the driveway.

Clarke was still looking at the map, they appeared to parked on the side of a small road. Clarke's blood ran cold when she realized where they were. She recognized the name of the location immediately

"What are they doing at Mt. Weather Regional Park?" Clarke said, her voice hard.

Anya hesitated before answering. "Lincoln, Indra and Echo went up there to start hunting the stray that turned you and killed your father."

Clarke was silent. A disquieting feeling of dread filling her chest. Lexa had promised her that she would the wolf responsible, but if anything happened to Lexa while she was out hunting for that beast, Clarke would never forgive herself.

As the silence filled the car, Anya kept her focus on the road ahead of her. She needed to as she took the sharp rural curves at sometimes upwards of double the speed the limit. Clarke distracted herself from her dark thoughts by watching the little green dot on the computer screen, which represented their current location move it's self rapidly towards their destination.

It took Anya about thirty-five minutes to make the little green dot reach the red and blue dots on the screen. Clarke looked up to see a black Chevy Impala and Lexa's Jeep Wrangler parked in the gravel shoulder on the side of the road. Anya quickly pulled off the road and skidded to a stop, parking behind the other two cars.

They both got out and walked around the other two vehicles. Something was off though. Anya sniffed the air. She fully encircled Lexa's jeep once, and then walked once in a full circle around the Impala.

"What is it?" Clarke asked.

"I'm not sure." Anya replied. "There's a human that came with them; Lincoln, Indra, and Echo. Why?" Anya glanced around at the surroundings as if an answer was going to jump out of the field in front of her.

Clarke moved closer to the car, standing next to Anya. She breathed deep, trying to catch the sent, and she suddenly recognized it.

"It's Octavia." Clarke's eyes shot open.

"Who's Octavia?" Asked Anya.

"She's a friend of mine, why would she be here?" Asked Clarke.

Anya shook her head. "I don't know, but the sooner we find them, the sooner we can ask."

Without another word, Anya turned and pushed through the tall, thick grass. Clarke followed closely behind, trying her best to focus on anything but Lexa's scent. She could identify the others of course. She knew Lincoln's and Octavia's, and could even recognize Indra's from their very brief meeting, but beneath everything else, was Lexa's scent, tinged heavily with that familiar edge that came with her heat. Clarke couldn't let herself get distracted by that though.

Anya paused as they reached the tree line at the edge of the field. "We're entering Azgeda territory now." She said softly, over her shoulder. Clarke could make out the smell, as they crossed into the woods. It was definitely wolf, but the undertones were different from Lexa's pack.

"Why would Lexa come all the way out here?" Clarke asked.

"You heard Lincoln's message, he said it was urgent, plus whatever happened to him at the end..." Anya didn't finish that thought out loud. "Besides, you think it was a coincidence that Nia showed up at the house when it was only you and Lexa there? You think she would have shown herself like that, if there was any chance that the rest of the pack would've been there?"

"She knew they were here somehow." Clarke concluded. Anya nodded.

"She had to of known. Its the only thing that makes sense." Anya said.

"But why?" Clarke asked. "If she wanted to hurt Lexa, wouldn't her best chance to do that have been while Lexa was at the house."

Anya shrugged. "Maybe to make it look like we started it. If she'd attacked Lexa at the house, while she was supposed to be alone, Nia would've just been seen as a coward by the rest of the coalition. If Lexa and her entire pack are found on her territory, then she can argue that we started it. The fact that you provoked her, but she left anyway, could even serve strengthen her argument."

Clarke bit down on the inside of her cheek, grinding her teeth until the taste of blood filled her mouth. She felt like she was being torn in half by all the rage and worry toiling away in her gut. She followed silently behind Anya, her imagination taking her to darker and darker places without any form of distraction.

They came to a stop a good distance into the woods. Clarke wasn't sure how long they had been walking or even what time it was. It was still light outside, but the sun was already dipping down behind the mountains.

"They split up here." Anya said. "You go that way. Hey!" Anya turned Clarke harshly, grabbing ahold of both her shoulders. "Clarke, its going to be okay. We're going to find them. Your friend. Lexa. We are getting all of them back, okay?"

Once firmly back in reality, Clarke nodded her head, focusing her gaze.

"Good." Anya said. "You have the scent?" She asked. "Indra and your friend went that way, you follow them. I'll follow Lincoln and Echo. Shout if you find anything."

Clarke nodded and Anya dashed off through the woods. In an instant she was out of site, both the trees and the shadows quickly growing thicker. Once alone though, Clarke found the focus on the hunt to be oddly comforting, something she could do almost without thinking, while she let her mind quiet down as she much needed. She recognized that it was her wolf instinct as the reason, and a part of her embraced that.

She heard the crunch of dead leaves beneath heavy footfalls only a moment before the impending attack. Luckily, Clarke was able to react quickly enough to dodge out of the way. As she spun away from her first attacker, two seemed to materialize out of the trees themselves. They all wore black tactical uniforms, and moved almost silently.

One of the men whipped out a collapsable steel baton, and as Clarke recognized the sound of the heavy crackle of electricity from Lincoln's voicemail recording, she watched blue bolts of energy tangle and arch up and around the length of the weapon.

As the men surrounded her, the one with the weapon lunged. He was quicker than Clarke had expected, the baton only just missing her. She dodged and spun, and as one of the other men stepped towards her, she slammed her fist into the side of his face. She heard a sickening crunch, but she was pretty sure it was the bones in her hand. The third man grabbed a hold of her, wrenching her backwards, and as the two unarmed man each took hold of an arm, the man with the baton squared off with her again. Clarke struggled, but was surprised to find that even with all her strength, she couldn't get away from them. She watched as the baton was brought back, and readied to swing, when a loud growl sounded, and the man that held Clarke's right arm, was torn to the ground.

Clarke and both men stood in shock for a moment, watching long brown hair flying wildly, as the woman tore into the man with claws and teeth. The baton swung towards Lexa instead, but Clarke grabbed his wrist, stopping it in place. She pushed hard against the joint and a loud crack sounded as his arm snapped. The baton dropped from his hand and she caught it, spinning hard on her heels and bringing it across the third man's face.

Breathing hard, Clarke turned slowly. Lexa was still huddled over the body of the man she attacked. "Lexa." Clarke said softly. Even though her voice was barely above a whisper, she still saw Lexa flinch.

Lexa stood, turning slowly. She was naked, her body covered in the soldiers blood, and bruises and burns, which Clarke could only assume were from the electric wands the soldiers carried. Clarke didn't avert her eyes, even as she noticed the blood covering Lexa's hands, up to her elbows. She saw that Lexa's claws were extended, and she watched as they slipped slowly back into Lexa's fingertips. She took one unsteady step towards Clarke before collapsing.

Clarke was there before Lexa hit the ground. Her arms wrapped around her.

"Lexa?" There was no response. "Lexa, please." Still nothing. "Anya?" She called out louder. She didn't know if there were any other soldiers in the woods though, so she didn't want to risk making too much noise. She picked Lexa up in her arms, balancing Lexa's weight and quickly headed back to the car.

She didn't know how long it took, it seemed like she walked a lot further on the way back to the car, than she had on the way out there. It was pitch black, but finally she reached the edge of the field and not much longer after that, the road. She carried Lexa over to Anya's car, and laid her across the backseat.

"It's okay." She whispered to Lexa. "You're gonna be okay now."

"Clarke." Lexa breathed, her voice strained and scratchy.

"Shhh, its okay." She brushed a strand of Lexa's hair from her face, then stood upright, looking out over the field.

"Anya." She called out again. "Anya." A little louder.

"I heard you the first time." She said, stepping out from the tall grass. "I went to find you, but only found those two men you left behind."

"Two?" Clarke said. "There were three." She knew the one with the broken arm must have managed to get up, and return to wherever he came from.

"How's Lexa?" Anya asked.

Clarke turned her gaze to the backseat. "She needs a doctor."

Anya shook her head. "She'll be fine. She needs to rest, and then turn. When she turns human again, she'll be fine." Anya turned and headed around the car to the driver's side.

"Wait." Said Clarke, "what about everyone else?"

"We need to gather more intelligence before we continue." Anya ducked her head and got inside, turning over the ignition.

"No. I'm not going to just leave them there." Clarke said.

"Clarke, did you notice anything odd about those men you fought?" Anya asked. "Their smell had somehow been completely masked. They had been both faster and stronger than normal humans, but they were not werewolves, which means they were not with Azgeda. Whoever has Lincoln, Indra, Echo and Octavia, whoever did this to Lexa, they aren't killing them. They're capturing them and holding them. We need to know why. We need to know everything we can, before we continue. Now get in the damn car."

Clarke begrudgingly listened to Anya, climbing in, as Anya turned the wheel hard and pulled away, using the width of both shoulders and the street to spin the car around before speeding home.

Lexa stirred only once or twice the whole way back to her estate, and mostly only muttered inarticulate things when she did. Clarke couldn't conceal the worry from her face, and Anya had to remind her more than once that Lexa would be alright.

When they pulled up to the front of Lexa's estate, it was half-past nine. Anya opened and held the door and Clarke, insisted on carry Lexa inside.

Anya led the way to a large study at the back of the house, with it's own set of French doors that led out to the patio.

Clarke laid Lexa down on the sofa as gently as possible. Lexa stirred and tried to say something.

"Shhh, rest." Clarke said.

"Mt. Weather..." mumbled Lexa.

Going over to the doors Anya opened one. Clarke looked at Anya a bit quizzically.

"She just needs to turn, and go for a run." Anya said, nodding towards the door she left open. She walked up behind the couch, patting Lexa on the leg. "You've rested enough, go get it out of her system, then you'll be fine." Anya looked up at Clarke, giving her a wink and a small smile. Clarke nodded and Anya left the room. Clarke stayed for a moment, gazing down at Lexa. She knew she should still be worried for the others, and she was, but the overwhelming relief she felt when she looked down at Lexa, knowing she was safe, made thinking about anything else more difficult than it should have been. Lexa stirred again, this time struggling to sit up. Clarke's hands immediately reached out to help, not letting go until she was sure Lexa would stay upright.

"Hey?" Clarke said softly, trying to let a small smile show through.

Lexa groaned through gritted teeth. "Mt Weather Research Facility." She reached out, grabbing the arm of the couch, acting as if she was about to try and pull herself up, but Clarke stopped her.

"Okay, calm down." Clarke said. "How are you feeling?"

"Ugh, peachy." Lexa said with a groan. "Anya was right, I need to turn."

Clarke nodded. "I get the feeling she's right a lot."

A small smile curled Lexa's lips, her green eyes flashing up to meet Clarke's, despite all the cuts, all the bruises, all the swelling, Clarke still felt her heart pounding against her ribs like a wild animal trying to flee a cage. She reached up, cupping Lexa's face with one hand, Lexa leaning into it and letting her eyes fall shut briefly. When she opened them again Clarke was still staring at her, neither said anything. Lexa raised both her hands. They were still caked with dried blood, but Clarke didn't care. Lexa leaned forward, ever so slowly, gingerly pressing her bruised lips against Clarke's. Lexa had always thought the idea of drawing strength from someone else to be a terrible cliche, and ever since the death of Costia, she'd only ever looked inside herself to find strength, but in that moment, she could almost feel Clarke willing her to feel better, to get stronger, as their lips touched she felt all the things that Clarke felt for her, and all the things they meant to each other. 'Holy shit.' Lexa thought. 'If it's like this now, what's it going to be like once we're actually bonded.'

Lexa pulled away finally, the look in Clarke's eyes telling Clarke that she had felt all of the exact same things as Lexa.

"Thank you." Lexa said. "For coming back."

Looking away for the first time, Clarke's gaze dropped. "I was so worried when I got back here and you were gone. I was terrified. I went all the way out into those damn woods looking for you, and somehow it was still you that managed to save my life." Clarke let out a weak laugh, but her eyes were filling with tears.

"Shhh. We're both safe now." Lexa said, "and we're together." Clarke brought her gaze back up to meet Lexa's, her eyes hard.

"I'm not leaving you again." She said defiantly. Lexa smiled again and nodded. They shared another brief and gentle, if slightly more passionate kiss.

"Go now, help Anya prepare." Lexa said. "As soon as I'm healed, we're going back out there to get the rest of our people."

Clarke nodded and stood, heading for the door, but she paused as she swung the door open, looking back at Lexa. Lexa returned her look with a curious expression.

Clarke swallowed nervously. "I-I never seen... your wolf." She said. A light seemed to pass over Lexa's eyes. She gave a barely imperceptible nod, and Clarke stood at the door waiting.

Lexa, slid herself off the couch, on her hands and knees on the floor, she stretched her arms and legs and arched her back. The sounds of popping joints and shifting bones could be heard, but not a single cry or grunt, or any noise at all escaped Lexa's mouth.

Clarke gasped, letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. The wolf looked at her, tilting her head. Clarke approached slowly, in awe of its striking beauty and powerful presence. She was patterned in a fur coat of dark gray and tawny brown, but her pale green eyes were the same. Clarke crouched down to be at eye level with Lexa, neither of their gazes wavering. Clarke would have sworn that she could see a smile at the corner of the animal's lips. a split-second later, a big wet tongue slipped out and struck Clarke's lips. It caught Clarke so off guard, that she lost her balance, falling back onto her backside, but as she looked up, Lexa had already slipped out the door and disappeared into the night. Clarke could only laugh and shake her head, as she stood and followed Anya's scent to the office, to speak with her.

When Clarke entered, Anya looked up from where she was standing over a rather large table.

"Lexa's out... for her run." Clarke said, waving dismissively towards the back of her house. "What have you got here?"

"This is a map of the entire area, TonDC, our territory, Azgeda territory." Anya turned her focus back to the map itself. "Lincoln had me pull every recorded wolf sighting over the last two months. You see them marked in red here." She said, she looked up, noticing the fixed stare on Clarke's face. Following it, she noticed it had locked on Mt. Weather Regional Park. The location was both circled and had an 'x' through it and the time and date of the attack on Clarke was written next to it. The time and date of the death of Clarke's father.

"Clarke?" Anya said softly.

Clarke sniffled and blinked several times. "Yeah... go ahead." She said finally.

Anya continued to hesitate, but at a prompting nod from Clarke, she continued. "Considering the proximity and the timeframe," Anya said, "its reasonable to believe that all of these sightings are in fact of the same wolf that attacked you and your father." She paused, flicking her eyes to make sure Clarke was still with her. Clarke's gaze was fixed intently on the map, so she continued. "This was the most recent recorded sighting, and this..." Anya said, drawing another red 'x' on the map, "is where we were attacked tonight. Now, due to the direction that we inferred from the reported sightings, we believed that this wolf was part of Azgeda pack, due to the fact that he seemed to run directly back to Azgeda territory after the attack on you at Mt. Weather Regional Park, but now I'm not so sure."

Clarke nodded. "Lexa mentioned something about a Mt. Weather Research Facility. What is that?"

"It's some kind of bunker." Lexa's voice startled them both. She was pulling a black tank-top down, barely concealing the slight grimace. Almost all of her bruises and burns were gone, but a few of the worst remain, if fainter, and overall she looked a hundred times better health wise. She'd also take the time to was her hands and face free of blood, which helped a lot as well.

"I had shifted into my wolf and was following the same trail you guys were on. Four men ambushed me, I was able to fight them off eventually, but those fucking batons hurt like hell." She gave a weak smile to Clarke, moving to stand next to each other, and instinctively reached out for each other's hand. "One of them was able to get a blood sample. I let him get away so I could follow him, and watched as he went in through some kind of huge steel blast door dug into the side of the mountain."

"If they took blood, then you were right." Clarke said to Anya. "They're doing experiments, or at least research of some kind."

Both Anya and Lexa nodded. "And they're making soldiers." Anya said. Her sharp jaw set. "Soldiers to hunt down werewolves."

The room was silent, for several long moments. "How did this happen?" Lexa asked quietly to no one in particular. "We've always been careful. How does anyone even know we exist?"

"It's going to be okay." Clarke said. "We're going to get our people back." She looked up and Lexa's eyes met hers. Lexa nodded.

"Can we be sure that they're in there?" Anya asked. Lexa nodded again.

"Yes. At least they were. When I was watching the soldier enter, I could clearly pick up all four distinct scents."

Clarke breathed a little sigh of relief. "So Octavia is in there too?"

"Yes." Lexa said.

Clarke thought long and hard. The old her wanted to let Bellamy know. Octavia had after all been missing for the same amount of time as the rest of them. There was no way Bellamy hadn't noticed, and he had to be worried sick. The new part of her, the part of her that was beginning to think with a pack mentality, and the part that was beginning to put her pack first, knew that too many people already knew about werewolves. That's how they had gotten into this mess, bringing another human along would only make things worse. It would be hard enough to explain things to Octavia, since there was probably no way she was getting out of there without figuring out the truth.

"So..." Clarke said finally. "How do we get in?"

Octavia's head felt like it had been crushed in a vice. Her hands were numb, and it took a concerted effort for her just to open her eyes. The room was weird and gray, with concrete walls. Harsh fluorescent lights stung her eyes, and her unconscious body had been left suspended by her wrists. It took her twice as much effort to get her feet under her as it did for her to open her eyes and a loud groan was pulled from her dry scratchy throat.

"Octavia...? Octavia are you alright?" She heard a voice coming from somewhere, it sounded to be on the other side of the wall to her right. As her eyes refocused she realized that she was in some kind of alcove, it was like a small prison cell, but with no gate on the front, and opened up to a wide hallway that went in both directions. She couldn't see far enough to be able to tell how far it went though.

"Octavia?" She heard the voice again, and recognized t. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't get her voice to work at first.

"Linc-coln..." She said. She heard a faint sigh of relief.

"Geez... you had us worried." He said. "You've been out for over six hours."

"W-where are we?" She asked.

"I don't know... but I think we're underground." He said, not quite able to tell her that he thought that due to the lack of smells or sounds from the outside world, but he was pretty sure he was right.

Just then there was a heavy, metallic iclang/i and the sound of hinges, then footsteps, before the door slammed shut again, the noise echoing down the hall, and pounding through Octavia's still raging headache.

When she looked up again, still trying to shake of the pain, a man was standing there. his dark hair was combed back, and he had oddly pale skin. He regarded her with a considering glance.

"My, my." He tut-tutted. "What are we going to do with you?"

"You stay away from her." Octavia heard Lincoln saying from his alcove. She saw the man standing in front of her give a nod in Lincoln's direction, then a man wearing an all black uniform crossed in front of Octavia's cell, shock-baton in hand. She heard the weapon charge, the burst of energy, and Lincoln scream. She ground her teeth her eyes boring angrily into the man in front of her, but he just looked back at her with an unconcerned expression on his face.

"What do you want from us? Why are you doing this?" She asked. He looked at her with an odd, yet inquisitive expression.

"No?" He said. Then his lips parted, exposing his teeth in a mean-looking smile. "You don't know, do you?"

"That's why I asked asshat." She said. He laughed.

"Octavia don't..." She heard Lincoln start, but he was cut off from another strike by the guard's weapon.

"Oh, this is rich." The man continued, completely unphased by anything that happened in the cell next to him. He leaned over, looking around the side of her alcove to Lincoln.

"She really doesn't know, does she?" She heard him say. "Would you like to tell her, or should I?" Then he came back around, looking at Octavia with big, excited eyes. "I know." He said. "We can show her." With that he walked away quickly, she heard the opening and closing of what sounded like some kind of metal locker, or cabinet, and moments later he returned holding a large syringe.

"This," he said, pointing to the syringe. "This is nasty stuff. It's actually based on the chemical compound that our scientists were able to isolate from your boyfriend's blood and saliva, but different." Octavia had no idea what this lunatic was talking about. Nothing he said seemed to be making any sense. "Of course," He continued. "This has been modified a bit, so it should only take hours, not days to take effect." He stepped away, so that he could look back and forth between Lincoln's cell and Octavia's. "It also has a little more ikick/i to it." He paused. "I tried it on our Chief of Security, Emerson... and let's just say that we had to put him down. Of course not before he managed to get out and terrorize half the state, but you know." He shrugged. "We covered our tracks."

"Not well enough." Octavia heard Lincoln say. "We followed him straight back to you. You think we were just randomly wandering through the woods outside your top secret bunker?" The man nodded to his security guard once again. "You must really enjoy that feeling." The man said, after the sound of Lincoln's scream died away. Then he looked back to Octavia. "Right." He said. "You must still be so confused. Let me show you." He grabbed her arm, and with her wrist restrained the way it was, there was almost no room for movement. Without pause, he jabbed the syringe into her arm, and injected god-knows-what into her. Then he gave her a faint smile, and stepped back. "Oh, this is gonna be good. Unfortunately, with your arms suspended like that, it'll probably tear your arms from your sockets when the change finally takes place." With that he walked away, and she heard the door open and close again.

"Lincoln?" She said. "Lincoln, what the hell was he talking about?"

"Don't worry, Octavia." Lincoln replied. "We're going to get out of this." He said. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Its a little late for that." She shot back.

"What the fuck are we doing, Bellamy?" Raven asked as she steered her truck up the winding road. "It's the middle of the night."

"Raven, this is my sister we're talking about." Bellamy said from the passenger seat. When Octavia hadn't come home, even after dark, and there had been no replies to any of his calls or texts, he had turned on the 'Track My Friends,' on his own phone. She had shown up in the middle of the woods, not far from where they were now, but then the signal had disappeared.

Raven let out a sigh. She knew Bellamy was just worried and overprotective, but she also knew that Octavia had been known, on more than one occasion, to blatantly throw that back in his face, just by staying out all night and not letting him know where she was going, or who she was with. Raven didn't think this was any different. "Wait, what's this?" Raven said, slowing down.

"Just a couple cars. Keep going." Said Bellamy.

"Keep going where?" Raven replied. "Just wait, alright?" She added, when Bellamy opened his mouth to argue with her. "You said her signal was in the middle of the woods, not following the road, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well then how the hell do you think she got all the way out here?" Raven asked. "Someone had to drive her out here, and there's nothing else around. There's no other reason for these cars to be here, unless they are somehow connected to Octavia." Raven hadn't even waited for a reply, pulling over to the shoulder as she explained her reasoning to Bellamy. She parked and put on the emergency break, and they both hopped out of her truck, leaving the engine idling and the headlights on so they could see.

"Anything?" Raven asked after a few minutes. She had peered into all the cars, but nothing was visible that said, 'Octavia was here.' She across the roof of the Impala she was leaning against, to see Bellamy shining his flashlight into the field. He'd changed into civilian clothes, but had worn his duty belt, and his police jacket.

"It looks like whoever was here, went this way." He said, noting that the grass was pushed aside and tramped down. He looked back at Raven. She did not look excited about tramping through the woods in the dark. Just then the roar of an engine came around the corner and a car pulled up. Red and blue lights flashed quickly, and a tall, lean and mean looking woman stepped out of the driver's side.

"Can I ask what you two are doing out here so late?" She asked.

Bellamy already had his badge out. "I'm Officer Blake, TDCPD." He said. "I'm looking for my sister.

"Bellamy?" Clarke said in shock, climbing out of the car as well. For a long time it seemed everyone just stared at each other in confusion and stunned silence. Finally Clarke just shook her head. There wasn't time for this.

"This is Anya and Lexa. Their friends of Lincoln, he's missing too." Clarke said.

"She was with Lincoln?" Clarke could hear the anger and suspicion rising in Bellamy's voice already.

"Yes." Clarke said, "but they were also with Indra and Echo, two of their other friends, who are also missing."

"What the hell is going on?" Bellamy asked.

"That's what we're here to find out." Anya said, stepping forward, taking charge with a tone that didn't leave room for questions. "You can come with us or go, and wait for us to bring them home." With that Anya stepped between everyone and disappeared into the night, following the trail through the field. Clarke looked to Bellamy for only a moment longer, then followed, with Lexa right on her heels. Bellamy and Raven stood there for only a moment. Bellamy looked to Raven, and Raven looked at him with a face that said, 'you better not,' but then her disappeared into the field as well.

"God dammit." Raven muttered, as she stepped into the field and brought up the rear.

It was close to midnight as they crossed the invisible boundary at the edge of the woods. Lexa stepped up alongside Clarke.

"Your friend, the one with the leg, she should not be out here." Lexa said, in hushed tones.

"Neither of them should be out here." Clarke said through gritted teeth. "I can't imagine we'll be able to keep our secret and get everyone back." She said.

"Maybe it'll be alright." Lexa said. "Your mom has known this whole time, and nothing bad has come of that."

"Yeah, but whoever is in Mt. Weather, they know too. The more people who now, the bigger the chance of there being another Mt. Weather in the future." Said Clarke. She felt Lexa's hand comfortingly drop on her shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Clarke." She said. Clarke turned to her with a gentle, but it faded as she noticed something about Lexa was off.

"Your heat?" She said, her voice half between a question and a statement.

Lexa shrugged. "It's been known to happen." She said. "During times of intense stress, the overwhelming amounts of adrenaline can kind of flush the hormones from the system, in the interest of self-preservation. Who wants to be distracted by the need to mate when their life is in danger, right?"

"So your heat is over?" Clarke asked. Lexa gave her a small smile.

"Just this one." She replied. She took Clarke's hand hoping to indicate that she had every intention of them being together for the next one as well. She felt a tiny thrill as Clarke squeezed her hand gently in silent reply.

They reached the steel door without running into any more of those 'hybrid soldiers,' as Clarke had began to think of them in her mind. Anya moved closest to the door, with the rest of the group gathered around her. Clarke and Bellamy mostly kept an eye out, while Raven moved next to Anya, interested in how she was going to get through. Anya was wearing what could only be described as a tactical messenger bag. She slid it around her hip, fishing something out in the darkness.

"Whatcha got there?" Raven asked.

"Thermite." Anya said.

"Wow. You G-men don't mess around, do you?" Anya turned to her with a half smile.

"You're all gonna wanna get back and cover your eyes." She said. They all stepped back a good ways, and turned their backs to the door. Anya set a small ignition detonator on each charge. She'd placed one on the lock and one on each hinge. She hoped that would do the trick. She looked to the others, raising her eyebrows, silently saying, 'here it goes,' then hit the trigger.

There was the initial burst of ignition, the entire area was lit up with a bright orange glow, while the chemical mixture reacted with violent sizzling cracks and pops. It lasted for only a moment. the forest sinking into seemingly even deeper, darker shadows once the thermite had burned out. There was an eerie groan of metal cooling, and Anya nodded to Lexa in the direction of the door.

Bellamy started forward to help them, but Clarke grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head.

"You should stay back." She said. "They've got this." He couldn't hide his shock when the two fit, but obviously slender girls each took hold of the massive door, and with seemingly little struggle, pulled it away, uncovering the entrance. Once clear of the opening, they dropped it and let if fall to the ground with heavy thud

"Awesome." Raven said, standing on the other side of Clarke. "Remind me to get some of that if I ever decide to rob a bank."

"Yeah, I'll be sure and do that." Said Clarke, finally stepping forward to follow Anya and Lexa into the bunker.

"What the hell is going on?" Octavia heard the man's voice. iThat/i man's voice. The one who'd injected her with god-knows-what.

Another man replied. "Someone has breached the main entrance." Octavia assumed the second man was another guard.

"How the hell did someone do that?" He didn't sound happy, which for some reason made Octavia feel better.

"We don't know, Mr. Wallace."

"Well go get them." He said, his voice rising even more. "I want every intruder apprehended immediately."

"Yessir." The guard replied.

"You've really stepped in it now, haven't you, son?" Said a voice that Octavia hadn't heard yet.

"I don't need advice from you right now, dad." He said.

"Of course not, Cage, when did you ever need my advice? Certainly not when you moved ahead with human trials ahead of schedule, hm? How'd that work out for dear old Emerson?"

"I saved you." Cage said.

"Yes, and look where it got me." Said the father. "I'm another one of your pets. Locked up in this stupid zoo of yours.

"You... you chose to lock yourself up. You're the one that decided you couldn't be trusted." Argued Cage.

"Only because you turned me into a monster!"

The screaming was making Octavia's head hurt, and whatever Cage had injected her with made it feel like her internal organs were growing claws and teeth and trying to kill each other. Cage stepped back in front of the cells holding herself and Lincoln. She'd learned after being injected that they were holding Indra and Echo as well. She'd heard Indra and Lincoln saying something earlier, but had blackout for a bit.

Now Cage was ranting about something else. 'God, won't he just shut up.' She thought, as she felt her stomach knot up and her spleen tried to strangle her appendix, or something. God, it hurt.

"Can you believe that he locked himself in there?" Cage asked Lincoln. "I turn him into one of you. I give him the gift of long life and inhuman strength, and this is how he thanks me." Cage shook his head. "A bit self-righteous to the extreme if you ask me." He shrugged, "but do you know the kind of strides we've made in technology by studying your biology. Medicine, genetics, hormones, and pheromones. Your kind are going to pave the way for the next technological revolution."

Suddenly a hollow thud echoed through the halls, followed by another, and then two more in quick succession.

"Octavia?" She heard her brother's voice.

"In here." She called back. Cage looked from the door, to her and then back to the door. Then Octavia watched as Cage backed away. Then Bellamy was there, in front of her, giving her a massive hug. The relief was short lived through as a crush pang of agony struck her chest. Bellamy quickly backed away.

"What's wrong?" He asked, but all she could do was cry out in reply. He turned on Cage.

"What did you do to her?" Bellamy asked him.

"You're too late." Cage said. He hit a switch on the wall that released Octavia's wrists. Immediately she collapsed to the ground. Bellamy turned and rushed over to her.

"No." She growled, her voice angry. She held up her hand to signal for him to stop, but it didn't appear as her hand. It was misshapen, with deformed fingers, and longer than normal nails.

"Octavia?" He said. She only growled in response, and then suddenly she lunged at him, her eyes wild and feral. Her teeth sharp.

A blur suddenly coming out of nowhere, collided with Octavia before she could reach her brother. He realized as they went tumbling across the room, that that blur had been Clarke. The two girls separated, instantly rising to their feet in defensive stances, both in mid-transformation. Bellamy and Cage both watched, both rooted to the floor in shock and amazement, watching as they both turned into wolves before their eyes. Cage had seen the transformation before, on a few separate occasions, but he found the thrill of the possibility at watching these two wolves fight, oddly exciting. Bellamy on the other hand, couldn't even believe what he was seeing.

The two wolves, one a pale amber color, the other almost all black, stared at each other, eyes locked, teeth bared in vicious snarls. For several tense seconds they remained like that, but then the sounds changed. It was almost imperceptible at first, but Octavia's snarls became softer, turning almost to a whining sound. Then she ducked her head low, her tail curled between her legs, and she sank to the floor, rolling onto her back.

Everyone suddenly turned at the sound of Cage's voice. "She's the one. That's the alpha. Get her." Bellamy had been so distracted that he hadn't realized a group of guards were at the door. Two of them grabbed him, two more rushed at Clarke with batons already out and fully charged. Clarke turned, barking something to Octavia over her shoulder, and then charged at the man that reached her first. She was quicker than he had counted on, and before he could bring the baton down, her jaws locked around his leg. As she shook her head hard to the side, he fell to the ground, where she easily finished him off. The second man swung at her, but she dodged just in time, feeling her fur stand on end from the charge of electricity as it passed so close. She whipped around though, her jaws clamping on his arm hard enough to break the bone, and she pulled him to the ground as well. She bit down on the back of his neck and with a hard twist, killed him as well.

While she'd been taking care of them, Octavia had rushed over to the wall and pressed each of the buttons that released, Indra, Lincoln, and Echo. They exited their cells and stood behind Clarke as she turned her icy blue gaze on Cage.

One of the guards had apparently ran, but the fourth held Bellamy at gun point, and was slowly backing towards the door. Cage was behind him, backing out slightly faster than the guard holding Bellamy.

Cage locked eyes with Clarke, and for a moment he could have sworn that he saw the lips at the edge of the animal's mouth curl up at a smile, then he felt the strong slender fingers grasp his chin and the back of his head. There was a hard swift twist, then everything went black.

The final guard barely had time to turn before Lexa swiped at his throat with a clawed hand, and the gun dropped from his hand at the same time as he released Bellamy.

Bellamy staggered backwards, his eyes large. He looked from Lexa to Clarke, to his sister, to the others. He shook his head adamantly, as if trying to deny everything that he had seen.

"Hey Lex... whoah." Raven said as she ran into the room. Her eyes locked on the two huge wolves standing among a group of people. She recognized Lincoln, but her mind barely acknowledged his presence. Anya had followed right behind Raven, and she took stock of the damage, the dead guards the two wolves, the two traumatized humans, at least everyone in her pack was safe now.

Raven and Bellamy both watched in awe as first Clarke, and then Octavia morphed from their wolf form back into their human form. Clarke tilted her head, cracking her neck. The noise oddly loud in the large, silent room. For a long time no one spoke, until Lexa finally went over to a large metal locker and pulled out two spare lab coats, handing one to Octavia and one to Clarke.

"It's distracting." She said, looking Clarke's naked body up and down, when Clarke gave her a questioning glance. Clarke smiled in reply, blushing slightly and Lexa smiled back.

"Clarke... what?" Bellamy started, but couldn't find the words.

"Holy shit." Raven said, now that the silence was broken. "That is so fucking awesome." She walked over, putting one arm around Clarke and one arm around Octavia. "My two best friends are fucking werewolves." She looked up, but Bellamy was just looking at her incredulously.

"Is it done?" Clarke asked finally. Looking to Lexa and Anya. They both nodded.

"Charges are set around the main entrance. We also found an emergency exit, through some abandoned mine shaft. We rigged those as well." Anya said. "Once we leave, no one's ever getting back in here again."

Clarke nodded. "And the files?" She asked.

"We've got fires going in every waste bin all the offices." Lexa said. "And Raven helped to make sure all the hard drives were destroyed as well."

Clarke nodded again. "Good."

"What about him?" Anya asked, nodding her head towards another cell. This one actually had iron bars across the front and inside was an old man, standing in the middle of the room, an oddly calm expression on his face.

"Who are you?" Clarke asked. The man didn't answer.

"His name is Dante Wallace." Lincoln said. "He's that man's father." Lincoln indicated the man that had been in charge. "He started this place. He's the one that started doing the research on us."

"I say we leave him here." Anya said with a shrug.

"Wait." Clarke said. "Who else knows?" She asked Dante. "There had to be someone you were working with on the outside, someone benefitting from your secret lab down here."

"She's right." Octavia said. "Cage was mentioning these huge scientific breakthroughs, and all the progress they were making, how famous and rich you'd all be. You have a front company on the outside?" She asked. She crouched down close to the bars. "Come on Dante, you don't owe your son anything. Look what he turned you into."

Clarke's eye lit with the realization. "He turned you into one of us." She said. Octavia stood again, nodding. "And you've been locked in here ever since?" No answer came, but she didn't need one. She turned and walked away. She returned a moment later, dragging his dead son over behind her. She pushed his body up close to the bars, with his neck twisted at an odd angle, his dead eyes looked right up at his father.

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Bellamy asked. Clarke ignored him. This time, she crouched down close to the bars.

"You know." She said. "We are going to leave you here, and that makes me wonder, who brought you your food since you've been locked down here? How long do you think you can go, before the wolf inside you starts to look at your beloved son like nothing more than a side of beef?"

"Clarke, stop..." Said Bellamy, but Anya put her hand on his chest, giving him a stern look when he tried to approach.

"I'll leave you here." Clarke said, "and I'll leave him here, and your last few weeks are going to be pure torture for yourself if you don't tell me what I want to know."

"Alright." He said finally. "Alright. There's a general, he works in the office of the Department of Defense. We sent him all of our results, but I swear, he never knew how we got them. He never knew... about werewolves."

Clarke nodded. "Give us a name." She said.

"On one condition." Dante said. "Make it quick." Clarke nodded again. She stood and took Bellamy's gun, her movements so quick he couldn't even react. Again, Anya put herself between Bellamy and Clarke, just in case.

"You have my word." Clarke said.

Nia turned when the door to her office opened, regarding the man that came in with a disquieting smile.

"Ah, Emerson, my dear friend." She said. "Tell me, how did our plan fair? Is Lexa's pack taken care of?"

Emerson hesitated, for a moment. "No, ma'am. Clarke and her pack has escaped. The entire research team is dead, and all their records have been destroyed."

Her smile turned into a snarl. "That's what I get for trying to get humans to do my dirty work." She said flippantly. her annoyance was obvious, but she didn't lash out with rage the way he had half expected. Instead, she just turned her gaze back out the window and fell silent. Emerson stood for several moments, waiting for her to say something or dismiss him, before he finally spoke up.

"Ma'am? What would you have me do now?" He asked.

She let out a sigh. "Track down my son." She said. "It's time Roan comes back home."

"Ma'am." He said, turning on his heels and leaving the room. She rolled her eyes, 'Once a soldier, always a soldier,' she thought. At least he was loyal, saving him from that incompetent mad scientist Cage, had been one of the best choices she'd made so far. Of course it had been worth it just to see Cage's face when she had caught him in the lie that he had successfully dealt with 'the Emerson situation.' It was adorable to watch Cage squirm sometimes, she was almost going to miss that worthless bastard.

The large man followed the especially dainty woman down the corridor, her heels clacking as she walked. She stopped at a wooden door, and knocked thrice.

"Come in." Came the voice from inside the room, and she opened the door to enter. She stood to one side as the large man followed her in, nearly ducking just to enter the office.

"General Pike," the woman said. "This is Mr. Gustus." She introduced. The General nodded, and she turned and left them to their business.

General Pike, regarded the large man sitting across from him with a careful eye. "What is it I can do for you, Mr Gustus?" He asked finally.

"That is indeed the question." Gustus said, producing a small silver briefcase, about the size of a child's lunchbox. "You see, what I have in this case, is all that remains of your top secret research in Mt. Weather."

Pike tried to remained stoic, but his facade slipped ever so slightly. "I-I don't know what your talking about." Pike said, clearing his throat and sitting up a little straighter. "You're going to have to go."

"I'm talking about the research team of thirty-five people that were killed and then buried in a cave in triggered by government issue plastic explosive, in a top secret government research facility that was located in Mt. Weather." Said Gustus. "Now, you can't tell me that you aren't at least curious to see what I've brought with me."

Pike sat back then, removing his hand, which had up till that moment, still been resting on the phone receiver. He spread his hands out, palms up.

"By all means." Pike said. Opening the box, and turning it so that Pike could see it, he revealed three vials, and containing a perfectly clear liquid. Pike shrugged. "Okay, what is it?"

"Well." Gustus started. "One of these is the drug that your research team used to create the super-soldiers, which I'm sure you've read all about in the reports that they've sent you. One is a nasty little cocktail that was the original arch of your wonder drug, and it quite literally turns men into animals, and the other is the cure for the other two."

"How am I supposed to tell which one is which?" Pike asked.

"That's the point." Said Gustus. "I'll tell you which is which when I get what I want."

"Which brings us back to my original question," said Pike. "What is it you want?"

"Assurances." Replied Gustsus.


	5. Cry Wolf

The group trudged back to the cars, ears still ringing from the shockingly loud, successive series of explosions.

"I'm all for a good explosion, but you don't think you might have overdone it, huh?" Raven asked, stretching her jaw, trying to get her ears to pop. Anything to get the ringing to stop. "Maybe, just a bit?"

Anya just shrugged in response. The rest of the walk was finished pretty much in silence, and it was well after midnight before they finally returned to where all their cars were parked on the side of the road.

"So what do I do now?" Octavia asked finally, turning to Clarke as they all paused for a moment to rest before getting in their cars. She had stayed at Clarke's side, following her closely since they had left the mountain.

"Right now, go home and try to get some rest, Octavia. It's probably like in the morning." Said Clarke.

"So that's it?" Bellamy asked, coming up to stand beside his sister. "We just pretend like nothing happened? Clarke, you killed people tonight."

Clarke's gaze hardened on him. "So did you." She said. "Three of our friends and your sister were taken, and we got them back. Besides, there's a lot more going on here now, and it's way bigger than just us. They had an entire underground bunker dedicated to studying us."

"iUs?/i" He said. "You mean werewolves."

"Yes, Bellamy." She said, her voice taking an angry edge. "I mean werewolves. I am a werewolf. Your sister is now also a werewolf. You can either get used to the idea, or not, I don't really care either way, but we will not speak of this outside of the company of the people here right now. Is that understood?"

Bellamy was quiet, clenching his jaw hard, his eyes holding Clarke's unwavering gaze, but only for a moment, before he turned to open the door to Raven's truck. He held the door open, looking at his sister.

"Get in." He said, nodding to the seat.

Octavia shook her head. "I'm riding with Clarke." She said. The answer took Clarke a bit by surprise, but she didn't argue.

"Come on then." Clarke said. Turning and heading towards Lexa's jeep.

"Octavia." Bellamy called after his sister, but she didn't turn around. Instead, climbing into the backseat of the jeep, after Clarke pulled the seat forward.

Bellamy climbed into Raven's truck, slamming the door. Giving Clarke a hard glare, that she ignored.

"I guess I'll see you guys later." Raven said, stepping past Clarke to get to her truck too.

"Thanks for your help, Raven." Clarke said.

"Don't mention it." She replied with a small grin. "Oh, and don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She circled her truck to the driver's side, giving a wave to everyone as she climbed in. Her eyes fell on Anya and her smile grew a little wider, but she didn't think anyone noticed that.

Clarke watched as Raven backed her truck up a bit before turning the wheel and pulling a three-point turn in the street, before she finally climbed into the passenger side of Lexa's jeep. Lincoln and Anya followed in Anya's Charger, and Indra and Echo were in Indra's Impala.

For a long time no one spoke, until Clarke turned in her seat. "Do you want us to drop you off at your brother's?" She asked.

Octavia thought about it for a moment. "Is there another option?"

Clarke looked over to Lexa. Lexa gave her a quick glance, before flicking her gaze up to the rearview mirror, eyeing Octavia a moment. She gave Clarke a slight nod.

"If you wanted you could stay with us tonight. There's room at Forrest Glenn Manor."

Octavia thought about it for several long moments, before finally shaking her head. "No." She said finally. "Bellamy would totally freak out."

Clarke nodded. "Look, O." She said. "I'm not saying this is gonna be something that's easy to get used to, and I can't speak for the rest of Lexa's pack, but I'm always here if you need anything, or if you ever just want to talk, okay?"

Octavia nodded. Clarke turned in her seat, and all three were quiet until they reached Raven's garage in town. They pulled up in the parking lot out front. Raven's truck was there, both Raven and Bellamy apparently having gone inside already.

Octavia hesitated before saying, "Hey Clarke, so... when your dad died, that's when you...?"

"Yeah." Clarke replied.

"So, for that month that you weren't around. It wasn't just about losing your dad, or the move was it?"

"No, it wasn't." Clarke replied.

"And you didn't have anyone back then... to...?" Octavia paused to find her words. "You were alone."

Clarke nodded her head, swallowing the hard lump in her throat. She had had her mom, but she knew what Octavia meant.

"I-I'm glad I'm not alone." Octavia said. Clarke gave her a weak smile, which Octavia returned, before climbing out of the jeep and thanking Lexa for the ride. Clarke said 'goodnight,' as Octavia headed around the side of the building, and Octavia waved over her shoulder in reply. Then Lexa pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to Forrest Glenn. Most of the ride back was quiet. Clarke knew that it was already too late, but she sent her mom a text anyway, just letting her know she wouldn't be home and not to worry.

"You don't have to worry, Clarke." Lexa said, speaking into the warm, dark silence that they had slipped into. "Octavia will be accepted into the pack. Besides," She added, the smile audible in her voice. "She already sees you as the Alpha."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that." Clarke said. "How did that happen?"

"Well, I wasn't there, so I can only guess, but I would say it would have something to do with you expressing your dominance so soon after her change." Lexa explained. "It must have had an almost 'imprinting' effect, not in a sexual or romantic way, but she already obviously shows you an instinctual kind of loyalty." Lexa said. "You can't tell me you didn't notice that she didn't leave your side once after leaving the bunker."

Clarke nodded. "I did notice that." She said. "What about me?" She asked as they pulled up in front of Lexa's house. Lexa put her jeep in park and turned to look at Clarke quizzically.

"What about you?" She asked, her green eyes soft, glowing in the light from the dashboard.

"Will I be accepted into the pack?" Clarke asked quietly. Lexa's face softened even more, her lips falling apart slightly.

"You already have been." She said, turning in her seat towards Clarke. Her voice was gentle but firm at the same time. "We... you and I..." She reached out, taking Clarke's hand. Her eyes welled up, and she let out a heavy breath. "You're not just Octavia's Alpha, you're my Alpha as well." She said. "I will follow you, I will treat your needs as my own, and my pack will be yours."

Clarke's breath caught at the weight of the words she was hearing. She felt her own eyes welling up, and didn't trust her voice to convey what she needed to say. She was leaning forward before she knew what was happening, her lips capturing Lexa's, Lexa's yielding, accepting, longing. She moaned into Clarke's mouth expressing her yearning desire for more. Her fingers reaching, tangling in Clarke's thick blonde hair, their lips parting, tongues coming together. Another moan, neither sure who it came from this time.

Lexa was the first to break the kiss, with a gasp as one of Clarke's wandering hands squeezed one Lexa's pert breasts gently. Clarke lowered her lips, nuzzling into Lexa's neck. She was hit with the stark contrast, immediately being reminded that Lexa wasn't in heat anymore. The scent was the same, but didn't hold that same edge to it. Clarke inhaled deeply, kissing, licking, and nipping at the soft flesh under her mouth, but she couldn't help but realize that the swelling tightness in her pants wasn't there. She almost missed it. She almost craved that urgency, that utterly desperate level of need. She knew this was good too though. The anticipation of where this night might go was still there. The familiar gentle warmth blooming in her chest and loins.

She raised her gaze, her blown pupils locking onto Lexa's, Lexa's emerald eyes expressing the same desire to match her own. Clarke knew that this wasn't about expressing any kind of need, or instinct to be together. Tonight would be about expressing how much they iwanted/i to be together.

All the lights were out, and Bellamy was in his room with the door closed by the time Octavia got home. She realized that her eyes didn't only adjust to the darkness, but when they did, she could clearly see every item in the apartment. She went straight to her room and got undressed without turning on a single light, then crawled straight into bed.

The next morning when Octavia woke, she didn't even remember her head hitting the pillow. She'd been so out of it, her exhausted mind numb, her body plagued with aches and pains. The next morning though she woke refreshed, feeling better than she ever had in her life. She swung her feet to the floor, feeling a kind of tingling excitement flow through her. The agility, the strength, she could feel all that potential power, giving her a kind of vitality she'd never experienced before as normal teenager.

For the first time since they had moved into their new apartment, Octavia was awake before her brother. She padded out of her room, she took a quick shower, and got dressed. She didn't have any plans, so she was only in sweats and a tank-top and she was out in the kitchen working on breakfast when her brother woke up.

"Hey, O" he said. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Fine." She replied, but she could still feel his eyes on the back of her head. She put down the spatula and turned to face him. "Look, I know this is weird," she said. "Imagine how I feel, but I swear, I'm fine." She turned back to the stove, flipping over another pancake. She shut off the burner and carried the two plates over to the counter, placing the one plate, with four pancakes in front of Bellamy, while her own plate must have had around ten. She dug in with her fork, practically shoveling them into her mouth, while Bellamy just stared. She had completely cleaned her plate before she even looked up, and noticed that he was still watching. She finished chewing what was in her mouth slowly and swallowed.

"What?" She asked. He stared at her for another moment, then stood and went back to his room. He came back out carrying his duffle bag.

"I have to get to work." He said.

"So, are you not eating these?" She asked, indicating his untouched plate. He rolled his eyes and headed out the door without a word.

Left alone, Octavia shrugged her shoulders and ate Bellamy's breakfast herself.

Clarke' woke up to the sun filtering gently through opaque white drapes. She turned her head, looking up at the ceiling, finding her a mess of thick brown hair in her face, as Lexa slept with her head on Clarke's shoulder. Clarke wrapped her arm around Lexa's waist, her hand numb, and her fingers tingling from being pinned beneath Lexa all night. She tilted her head down, placing a kiss on the top of Lexa's head. Lexa stirred, but didn't wake and Clarke was fine with that.

They laid like that for what felt like a long time, Clarke idly trailing her fingers up and down Lexa's ribs. She had to pause for a moment as she grimaced at the 'pins-and-needles' as the feeling returned to her fingers, but then resumed drawing lazy patterns on Lexa's skin. As she did, memories of the night before swam through her mind. They'd somehow pulled apart from each other long enough to exit the jeep. They had proceeded to make out on the front steps, in the foyer, on the main stairwell, and in the hallway, before finally managing to make it to Lexa's bedroom. She remembered Lexa's small laugh as she had called her, 'handsy,' and how hastily she had stripped Lexa down, once they were locked within the safety of her bedroom. She remembered pinning Lexa against the door, pushing her thigh between Lexa's legs, the sound of the locked door and the ever so slight amount of give that the bolt had, as their bodies ground against each other.

She also remembered the feeling of warmth and security, as they fell into bed together. The strength in Lexa's arms as they wrapped around her back. The passion and, dare she say it, love, that she felt in Lexa's kiss. Clarke didn't even hesitate to kiss her back with every bit as much passion too. They spent the entire night a sweaty tangle of arms and legs, grinding and writhing, fingers and tongues prodding, delving, hot and wet.

A soft, breathy giggle interrupted Clarke, as her fingers hit a particularly ticklish spot. The warm breath on her chest made her heart beat pick up slightly.

"Good morning, gorgeous." Clarke whispered. Lexa hummed pleasantly in reply, attempting to nestle herself even closer up against Clarke's naked body. An impossibly long leg was thrown across Clarke's hips, and an arm pulled tightly around Clarke's waist. Clarke smiled into Lexa's hair, running her hand slowly up and down, Lexa's soft, smooth thigh. She kissed Lexa's head again.

Clarke felt the warm, wet tip of Lexa's tongue slip out, lapping gently at Clarke's nipple. Then she felt the cool breath from Lexa's pursed lips, cause the little sensitive nub to crinkle and tighten in response. Another soft, innocent little giggle came from Lexa, as her fingers toyed playfully with Clarke's other nipple as well. Clarke let her head fall back, reveling in the moment. they hadn't had much opportunity for this, a chance to just lie there and enjoy each other. The physical and emotional closeness, that neither had had for a long time.

Clarke was jerked out of her reverie as a gasp was pulled past her lips by the feeling of Lexa's teeth catching and raking over her now painfully erect nipple. Her back arched, her chest lifted into the air, only to be pushed back down as Lexa shifted, mounting Clarke's body, straddling her waist. The corner of Lexa's lips curled up in a smile, and her green eyes shone brightly as her long dark hair fell around them like a curtain. She bent down and pressed her lips to Clarke's, pushing the soft flesh of her tongue into Clarke's mouth. Clarke suckled it gently but eagerly, and moaned around it against the growing heat between her legs.

Finally Lexa pulled away, her hair dragging, tickling down over Clarke's breasts, and belly, and over the inside of her thighs as Lexa continued moving down further.

Clarke's legs parted, as Lexa settled on the bed, lying on her stomach between them. Lexa looked up, her eyes locking with Clarke's as Clarke chewed her bottom lip into her mouth. Lexa held that gaze as she lowered her mouth, and Clarke's hands came up to gently guide Lexa's head. There was no urgency to it this time though, Clarke allowed Lexa to caress and tease with her mouth for as long as she saw fit. Clarke enjoyed the way the pleasure built on itself, how Lexa got her close and then let her calm down, and then got her even closer.

Clarke's hips rolled and thrust against Lexa's mouth, her fingers clenching in the sheets. Lexa's tongue did miraculous things, arousing feeling Clarke had never even imagined. Then Lexa added fingers. Clarke's breath hitched, her pleasure redoubled, and her toes curled uncontrollably.

"Shit. shit. shit." She breathed. Lexa's fingers began thrusting as hard and fast as they could, curling and rubbing Clarke's inner wall. Her mouth fastening around Clarke's hard, throbbing clit, sucking hard while her tongue lashed against it. Clarke's hips only bucked harder, her head thrashing from side to side, as every muscle in her body seized, growing taunt for a long infinite instant, and then suddenly releasing as violent spasms pulsed through her and her clenching pussy flooded. Her hips and her entire back were still elevated off the bed, with her feet flat. Lexa now had her hands beneath Clarke's butt, holding her up to her mouth, drinking down every drop of liquid pleasure she could. Ecstasy clouded everything. For several long moments there was nothing but the feeling of Lexa's lips on her, the feeling of Lexa's tongue inside her, and the feeling of Lexa's fingers digging into the soft flesh of her butt. For several long moments there was nothing but Lexa. Then suddenly her whole body went slack.

Lexa laid Clarke down gently, climbing slowly up her glistening, sweaty body, trailing soft, loving kisses, up her salty abdomen. Clarke could only hum and sigh, as gentle aftershocks caused shivers and tremors to ripple through her. Finally Lexa and Clarke were once again face to face and their lips met, and Clarke eagerly tasted herself on, in, and around Lexa's mouth. Then Lexa settled again, almost exactly as she had been, with her head back on Clarke's shoulder.

It had only been an hour since her brother had left. Octavia had washed the breakfast dishes, and gotten dressed to go out, but wasn't sure where she was going. To be honest, she didn't care. She had a new kind of restless energy toiling away inside her, and she felt cooped up in the apartment. Her instinct was telling her to get out. Images of being locked up underground in that bunker flashed through her mind. Goosebumps broke out up and down her arms, and a deep growl at nothing crawled up her throat. She shook her head, clearing those images from her mind. With that, she left the apartment and headed downstairs.

It was a little after seven, and she found Raven already in the garage, readying her shop to open at eight.

"Hey, how you feelin?" Raven asked.

Octavia shrugged. "Surprisingly good." She replied. "I was super hungry this morning though. This new... thing definitely comes with an appetite." She wasn't sure if she was ready yet to call it what it was.

"No urges to howl at the moon, or anything though?" Raven asked, with a smirk. Octavia shot her an unpleasant glare, but Raven just grinned back at her, turning back around to work on whatever it was she was working on.

They were quiet for a bit, as Octavia hopped up, sitting atop a counter-height work bench.

"So, uh... did Bellamy say anything to you last night?" Octavia asked.

Raven shook her head, casting a questioning glance quickly over her shoulder before returning to her work. "No." She said. "Why?"

"Really, nothing?" Octavia asked. She saw Raven shake her head. "He seemed... upset this morning, like he was mad at me."

Raven finally put down whatever she was working on, turning around and leaning back against the other workbench. "Listen, just give him some time." Raven said, with a shrug. "You know how overprotective he is. Last night you were turned into a werewolf." She paused as if she had to let that sink in. As if Octavia hadn't been thinking about it all night, even in her sleep. "You were kidnapped, and fucking experimented on." Raven continued. "I'm sure he just feels guilty that he let you down, and he's trying to cope with it."

Octavia was quiet, considering that for a moment. She knew how protective her brother was, and she couldn't fault him for that, not really. All she could do was hope that he'd be okay with... what she was now. It felt silly to think the word. Werewolf. It was absurd, werewolves weren't real. She tried replaying the entire set of events in her head, the little snippets of conversation between Cage and Lincoln, the injection, the pain she felt when the transformation began. She remembered suddenly lunging at Bellamy. The horror she felt as time felt like it froze for an instant, and she watched herself attack her brother. It was no wonder he didn't talk to her. He wasn't angry, he was probably terrified. How would he be able to rust her after that? Then she remembered Clarke. She wasn't sure how she had known it was Clarke at the time, but she just did. Clarke was able to get through to her somehow, speaking mostly with eye contact and body language. Then suddenly Octavia was back in control of her body, or at least could think clearly again, clearly enough that she felt herself submitting to Clarke.

"Uh... hey-O." Raven said, suddenly face to face with Octavia, startling her from her thoughts. "You okay? You zoned out on me there."

"Yeah," Octavia replied. "I'm fine. I think I'm just gonna head out for a bit." Raven shrugged, backing off and getting back to work.

"Alright."

Octavia hopped off the workbench and headed outside. The fresh air hit her like diving into a wave at the beach. She unconsciously let her eyes close, and inhaled deeply. Her ears picking up laughter and conversations. She could hear people talking all the way over at the square. She decided to head in that direction, idly removing her phone from her pocket out of habit. On a whim, she tapped out a text to Clarke, remembering Clarke's offer.

iHey. Just wondering if you wanted to meet up?/i

She didn't want to sound desperate, and she didn't even really know what to say or ask. All she knew was that she had so many things going through her mind, and the only person who could possibly understand was Clarke.

The muscles in Lexa's thighs quivered violently around Clarke's head. Clarke's tongue repeatedly pushing as deep as she could between the folds of Lexa's dripping pussy. Lexa brought her head back forward, after tossing it back several times as she cried out her pleasure. She looked down at Clarke with hooded eyes as she straddled Clarke's face, her knuckles white on the headboard, as Clarke ran her fingers up to Lexa's chest. She could see the smile that lit up Clarke's brilliant blue eyes. Finally, Lexa lifted a weak leg, settling back and sliding down on the bed neck to Clarke, sitting against the headboard. Clarke crawled up to meet her, her chin and lips glistening wetly. They met in a hot passionate kiss, not separating until both were aching for breath.

"So, are we getting out of bed today, at all?" Lexa asked.

Clarke shook her head. "Not if I can help it."

"It's almost noon." Lexa said. Clarke gave a look that clearly said, 'so?' At the same time though the sound of Clarke's tummy rumbling could be heard between them. Clarke blushed, but Lexa just gave her a gentle smile, "then there's that." She said.

Clarke nodded. Realizing rather disappointedly, that her werewolf appetite couldn't be sustained on sex alone. She let out a sigh, and nodded again.

"I need to eat." Clarke confessed. "Food." She added, at Lexa's blushing smile.

"There's food in the kitchen." Lexa said, swinging her feet out of bed. Clarke crawled over, tracing her fingers gently down the lines of Lexa's back tattoo, before wrapping her arms around Lexa from behind.

"You know what we both need, before food though?" Clarke asked.

"What's that?" Lexa said.

"A shower." Suggested Clarke. She was right. The smells of sweat and sex had permeated the sheets and blankets and pillows. Clarke nuzzled against Lexa's neck, licking along Lexa's pulse, inhaling her scent. "Join me." Clarke whispered. Lexa nodded, and they both stood, Lexa leading Clarke to the bathroom hand in hand.

Octavia hung out around town, checking her phone periodically with still no reply from Clarke. It was almost noon now, and she decided to grab lunch at the tiny little cafe on the corner. She hadn't been in there yet, but she had noticed the smell earlier, and it had tortured her the whole morning. To her enhanced senses at least, it seemed to carry across the entire town.

She entered to the gently jingle of a bell above the door, and spotted two people she recognized right away. The first was Nathan, working behind the counter, wearing a dark green apron. Octavia gave him a wave, which he returned and was about to go say high, when she spotted the second person, Abby.

"Hi, Mrs. Griffin." Octavia said, walking over to her table as she said hello.

"Hi, there Octavia." Abby replied. "Clarke had told me you all moved here, I'm surprised I haven't seen you all come around the house lately."

"Yeah," Octavia said, "we've been pretty busy getting settled and everything though. We will soon though, I'm sure."

Abby nodded. "Clarke has been busy too, come to think of it. I haven't seen her much around the house either."

"You don't know where she is now do you?" Asked Octavia, "I sent her a few texts, but she hasn't responded."

Abby shrugged with a sigh. "I'm sure she's still at her girlfriend's place, but I swear that girl doesn't tell me anything anymore." Abby finished up the last bit of her croissant, and washed it down with another sip of coffee, before standing and pushing in her chair.

"It was nice seeing you again, Octavia." Abby said as she readied to leave. "I have to get back to the clinic, but you guys are welcome to drop by the house anytime."

"Thanks, Mrs. Griffin." Octavia replied, watching Abby leave. Octavia let out a breath, she didn't know she'd been holding. As soon as she got the chance so speak with Clarke, she'd have to ask just how much her mother knew. Did she know Clarke was a werewolf? Did she know about Lexa and the whole pack of werewolves? It was fairly clear that she didn't know that Clarke was running around at night rescuing people from top secret underground research facilities. She wondered though if the girlfriend part was true though. She thought about Clarke and the way she acted around Lexa, and it hit her with a startling amount of force. She actually laughed out loud, drawing a few curious glances from the patrons closest to her. Suddenly very self-conscious about still standing in the middle of the cafe by herself, she quickly took a seat at the table where Abby had been sitting. Once everyone else had seemed to go back to what they were doing, she let herself have another silent chuckle. Clarke and Lexa. She sat back in her chair and pulled out her phone. She considered sending another text to Clarke, giving her a hard time about it. She also considered telling Raven, but decided to wait until she confirmed it the next time she spoke to Clarke.

Bellamy had left without a word. He didn't even knowing where to begin with his sister. What could he say? 'Gee, O. Sorry you're a werewolf.' The whole situation was so crazy, and Clarke too. He couldn't believe that Clarke hadn't trusted him enough to tell him. A whole month, or at least that's what he assumed. He knew that her dad had been attacked and killed by a wolf. Then she'd spent the whole month after that avoiding them, avoiding him. He was the only person who had made an effort after the funeral. He had dropped by her place for a visit about a week after, but she had been distant and closed off. He thought she'd just still been hurting, but she'd purposely pushed him away.

He entered the police station, collapsing at his desk across from his partner Lincoln. His partner who was also a werewolf. 'Jesus,' Bellamy thought. 'I can't get away from them.'

"You alright?" Lincoln asked. His tone serious and concerned, though Bellamy wasn't sure if Lincoln was actually concerned for him, or more concerned that he wouldn't expose Lincoln and the rest of them for what they were.

Bellamy shook his head, but just said, "Yeah, I'm fine." He didn't look up, instead digging straight into his paperwork and reports. They worked in silence most of the morning, until around noon when finally Lincoln stood from his desk.

"Come on." He said.

"Where are we going?" Asked Bellamy.

"Lunch." Lincoln led the way from the police station, up the block past the garage to the small general store. There was a hot bar nestled in the back corner, with things like chicken wings and potato wedges, pizza and hotdogs, mostly all cooked that morning and kept warm under heat lamps, but it was cheap and tasty. Lincoln hadn't said anything else, and continued to not speak, as he grabbed one of the folding plastic carry-out boxes, and proceeded to fill it to the point that it couldn't close all the way. Bellamy realized that his sister's appetite that morning hadn't been a coincidence, and every other time he'd eaten lunch with Lincoln it had been an act. Lincoln had concealed his real appetite well. Bellamy fixed himself his own box, with less than half the amount of food that Lincoln had, but he still felt that it was a lot. They carried their things to the register, each grabbing a soda from the cooler. Lincoln paid for both of them without question.

"Look, you don't have to do..." Bellamy started.

Lincoln just raised his hand to silence Bellamy, and walked out. Next to the gas station was a picnic table beneath a lone tree that stood in a small patch of grass right at the edge of the parking lot. Lincoln led the way in that direction, and took a seat at the picnic table. Bellamy sat down across from him. For several long moments they ate in silence.

"So?" Lincoln said finally.

"So what?" Replied Bellamy.

"So ask." Lincoln said. "I know you have questions. I'll answer as many as I can."

Bellamy was quiet for a long time, before finally shaking his head. "I'm not sure I want to know." He said.

"It's a little late for that." Lincoln said with a humorless smirk. "Look, you and your friend Raven are the only two that know, as far as I'm aware."

"You mean, now that everyone in Mt. Weather is dead." Bellamy said. Lincoln gave him a hard stare.

"Look, I know you're feeling guilty about that, and that's fine, but the truth is that you, and Anya and Raven, and Clarke and Lexa... you did what needed to be done." Said Lincoln. "The truth is that if you saved us. You should feel good about that. They would have kept us locked up for who knows how long, torturing us, taking what they needed from us, and disposing of us when they were through. So you feel as shitty as you want, but I for one am grateful that you helped kill every goddamn person in that mountain, and I bet if you asked her, your sister is grateful for it too." Lincoln stood, closing his box. It was completely empty save for a dozen picked-clean chicken bones. Bellamy stared in amazement wondering how the hell Lincoln had managed that.

Bellamy looked down at his own box. He had finished half of his slice of pizza and still had a whole hotdog and three chicken wings to eat. He looked back up to Lincoln, but Lincoln was already halfway across the parking lot, heading back towards the station.

By the time Clarke and Lexa had made it downstairs to the kitchen, after showering, and drying off and getting dressed, all between several rounds of making out and heavy petting, it was well after one in the afternoon.

She was sitting at the heavy wooden table in the kitchen, one foot tucked under her, the other with her heel on the seat and her knee pulled up to her chest. She pulled out her phone and checked her messages, finding the texts from Octavia. Apparently she had been trying to get a hold of Clarke since like eight in the morning, and that made Clarke feel a little guilty.

"What is it?" Asked Lexa. She had only cast a quick glance over her shoulder, but she noticed the look on Clarke's face.

"Octavia's been trying to get a hold of me all morning." Clarke sighed.

"Tell her she can't." Lexa said, surprising Clarke. "I had ahold of you first." Clarke and Lexa broke into a smile at the same time, and Lexa turned back to counter preparing the food, that they were still desperately in need of.

Clarke dialed Octavia's number, her friend picking up on the second ring.

"Hey, where have you been?" Octavia said in greeting.

"Well, hello there. Nice to hear from you too." Clarke replied.

Raven ignored Clarke's tone. "I've been texting you like all morning." 

"I know." Clarke said. "We didn't wake until like noon though, and then..."

"We?" Octavia asked, her tone suddenly light. Clarke could hear the smile in her voice.

Clarke felt herself blushing for some reason, "Yeah, Lexa and I. She said. She tried to keep the embarrassment out of her voice, but the smile she received from Lexa told her she wasn't quite pulling it off.

"Uh-huh, so you and Lexa woke up around noon, then you and Lexa showered, then what?" Octavia asked.

"You know what, that's not really any of your business." Clarke said. "And here I was ready to invite you over for lunch."

"Ooh, what are you having?" Octavia asked.

"I don't know, Lexa's cooking." Clarke replied.

"Well aren't you two the perfect little domestic couple?" Teased Octavia.

"Are you done?" Asked Clarke. "Do you wanna eat, or not?"

"Yes, please." Octavia said quickly. Clarke shook her head, she glanced over to Lexa, and could tell Lexa was smiling, even though she could only barely see one side of Lexa's face. She gave Octavia directions over the phone, and then hung up.

Once she was done, Clarke stood, padding across the kitchen to stand behind Lexa, wrapping her arms around Lexa's waist and peeking over Lexa's shoulder.

"So, what are you cooking?" She asked.

"It's a secret." Lexa said. "A recipe handed down through the pack for generations."

"Really?" Clarke asked. "Because it looks like lasagna."

Lexa smiled, trying to shoo Clarke away to sit down. Clarke caught Lexa's wrist though and pulled her into a hug, suddenly close, nuzzling her nose against Lexa's.

The sound of Indra clearing her throat caught their attention. They separated, finding Indra standing at the entrance to the kitchen, rolling her eyes.

"Indra." Lexa said, trying to regain the semi-formal tone that Clarke had heard her use with her pack before.

"Lexa." Indra returned the greeting, paused for a moment then turned her gaze towards Clarke. "Clarke." She said too.

"Hello, Indra." Said Clarke. There was a brief awkward silence.

"You're welcome to have some too, when it's done." Lexa said, indicating the large backing pan that she was layering ingredients in. "Octavia is coming over as well. Where is everyone else?"

"Echo is in town, and Lincoln and Nyko are both at work." Indra said.

"Is Gustus back yet?" Lexa asked.

Indra shook her head, and Lexa nodded. Then Indra turned and left the room.

"Where is Gustus?" Clarke asked. She wasn't sure it was really her business, but if she was going to be the pack alpha, she figured she'd better make an effort to get to know the pack.

"He's giving a guest lecture at American University in Washington, DC." Lexa said. "He's a professor of anthropology, specifically Native American society and beliefs."

Clarke nodded. "And Nyko? I don't think I've met him yet."

"He's a doctor." Lexa said. "He works at TonDC Medical Center in town."

"What?" Clarke replied. "My mom's a doctor at TonDC Medical Center." Clarke and Lexa were both surprised by this. Nyko had mentioned that there was a new doctor at the clinic, but had never mentioned her name, or talked about more than just in passing.

Clarke remembered that her mom had mentioned Nyko, a large man with a dark beard and hair, who was doctor, when they had first moved to TonDC. It felt like such a long time ago though, no wonder she hadn't remembered at first. She remembered that was the same day she had first met Lexa, and she couldn't help but let the smile come to her lips. She retold the story, when Lexa asked what she was smiling about, and by the end they were standing close, facing each other. Clarke reached out, pulling Lexa in for a tender kiss. Again though they were interrupted. This time by a knock at the door. Clarke turned her gaze from the direction of the front door, back to Lexa who already had a knowing look on her face.

"It's Octavia." Clarke said needlessly. Lexa nodded.

Lexa finished layering the final ingredients and placed the pan on the center rack in the stove, while Clarke went to get the door.

A moment later Clarke returned, Octavia following closely in tow.

"Octavia." Lexa said, in her usual greeting. Octavia gave her a respectful nod, raising her hand in a little wave. For how outspoken about it she'd been on the phone, Clarke was surprised at how quiet Octavia had suddenly become now. Maybe it was the impressiveness of the house, or the formality of Lexa's greeting, but Clarke was not comfortable at all with the quiet that settled over the three of them.

"So how was the rest of your night?" Clarke asked. "Did you sleep okay?"

Octavia nodded. "Yeah, I did." She said. "Is that surprising?" She asked looking from Clarke to Lexa.

Clarke shook her head. "Not really." She replied. "When I was turned, I was completely out of it for like two whole days. Of course that was in between when I was bitten and when I actually turned. After I turned, I felt fine."

Lexa nodded and added, "What happened to you last night, was completely different to anything I have ever seen. No one has ever turned so quickly."

"Why would they want to make something that would turn people faster though?" Clarke asked.

"The only reason I can think of is those super-soldiers they were making." Lexa explained. "If they can making make them exhibit those abilities overnight, instead of over the course of a week, then they can create many more at a time."

Clarke shuddered at the thought. "We need to locate that general that Dante was talking about, and see what he knows."

"Anya has gone back to DC. She's working on that." Lexa said. "There's nothing we can do until we figure out who the general is."

"So is this what you guys do all day?" Asked Octavia, with a quirked eyebrow. "Hunt down bad guys, and fight a secret war to conceal your existence from the rest of humanity?"

Clarke shook her head, and looked to Lexa, who was also shaking her head. "Normally things are much more dull around here. Most everyone in the pack has a regular day job, and we rarely get the opportunity to spend a lot of time together as a pack. We didn't know that there were any humans that knew about us, until you were taken to Mt. Weather."

"How did they know?" Clarke asked. "If Dante was the first at Mt. Weather to find out about us, how did it happen?"

Lexa shook her head. "I don't know, but I'd be willing to bet Nia had something to do with it."

"Who's Nia?" Asked Octavia.

"Nia is the Alpha, or leader, of the Azgeda pack. Mt. Weather is in their territory. The attack on Clarke and her father, occurred in their territory."

"Cage mentioned someone, a guy that he... experimented on. He said he turned the guy into a werewolf, but then couldn't control him. Char said that the guy broke out and attacked a group of campers." Octavia said. She looked to Clarke, shaking her head. "Cage said that they took care of him. They caught him, he said."

Clarke was speechless. Of course she had no way of knowing if this escaped wolf from Mt. Weather was the same one that had attacked her and her father, and it didn't really matter if he was already dead, but she had an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach that she just couldn't shake.

Lexa who had sat at the end of the table, to Clarke's right, reached out, placing her hands on top of Clarke's. No words were spoken, but when Clarke looked up, and her eyes met Lexa's, no words were needed.

The buzzer from the oven timer went off at that moment, causing Clarke to jump a little. She groaned at Lexa's amused little smile, and as Lexa donned an oven mitt and pulled out the steaming hot pan. It smelled delicious, and both Clarke and Octavia were sure to tell Lexa so.

After each of them had served themselves with large piled helpings, and started eating, the conversation was continued by Octavia.

"So, you are the Alpha of this pack, right?" Octavia asked, trying to understand the hierarchy. She couldn't help but be a little confused, because Lexa clearly acted in charge here in her house and with the rest of her pack, but every instinct in Octavia's body told her that Clarke was the alpha, and between the two of them Lexa seemed to defer to Clarke.

Like even now, after she had asked the question, she noticed how Lexa had looked to Clarke. It wasn't like she was asking permission to speak, or anything. It wasn't like she was looking for encouragement. Octavia couldn't figure it out. Hell, it was so quick she barely even noticed it, but she was sure it was there, if only for an instant.

"I can understand why it might be confusing." Lexa said. "As I know it has been for myself and Clarke as well. We, this pack, are in an interesting position for several reasons." Lexa went on to explain. She explained about how she was an omega that had been mated to the previous alpha, which led to an explanation of mating cycles and heats and bonding. Clarke felt the heat rise to her cheeks and paid more than the usual attention to her plate of food, while Lexa talked. She could Octavia's gaze occasional flick over to her with an amused smirk. Then Lexa went on to tell a brief version of how she had retained her leadership of her pack, even as an omega. Then she shared her experiences with meeting Clarke, and how Clarke was an alpha, but since she was so new to being a werewolf, she hadn't had any idea what that had meant when they first met. Clarke learned that Octavia was a beta. She learned that beta's were the most common of the three, compared to alphas or omegas, and while they could take any of the three as a mate, only alphas and omegas could form a true mating bond, because of the specific way that alphas exclusively responded to omega pheromones. Clarke blushed again at that, but Lexa had resumed holding her hand, and gave it a firm squeeze.

Indra came in at that moment, a moment when there was a lull in their conversation, and Clarke had no doubt that Indra had been waiting just within earshot, so as she wouldn't walk in on their conversation during one of the more awkward moments. She barely grunted a greeting, giving Octavia a curt nod. She fixed herself a plate and the. She left the room again, leaving them in their silence for a brief period.

Octavia let out a deep breath finally, raising her eyebrows at Clarke. "Wow, you've had a busy week." She said. "It's no wonder you haven't been home."

Clarke looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing." Octavia replied. "I just ran into your mom in town today, and she mentioned something about not knowing where you are." Said Octavia. "Which reminds me, how much does your mom know?"

Now it was Clarke's turn to let out a deep breath. "Well she knows I'm a werewolf, and she knows that I've been... seeing, another werewolf." Clarke said, turning to Lexa. "They haven't met though yet, and she doesn't know anything about the rest of the pack. Obviously I haven't told her anything about Mt. Weather, or you yet either."

Octavia nodded. "Okay." She said. "I was just a little worried. I didn't say anything to her obviously, but I couldn't help but wonder how much she knew, once we started talking."

She was quiet for a minute, scraping the last bits together on her plate and gathering them on her fork. "Did you really tell her you were staying with your girlfriend?" She asked finally. A smile curling her lips as she lifted the fork to her mouth.

Clarke's cheeks colored again, but she wasn't sure why. "Of course I did." She said, giving Lexa's hand another squeeze. "It was the closest thing to the truth that I could tell her at the time." She looked over to Lexa to catch the small, shy smile and the last bit of a blush fading as her cheeks returned to their normal color. Their eyes met and they shared a heartwarming smile. Octavia pulled a face that said, 'yikes,' and pushed her plate away, making exaggerated gagging sounds, as if she was going to be sick. Lexa narrowed her gaze to Octavia, sticking out her tongue, finally releasing Clarke's hand as she she stood.

"See if I ever feed you again." Lexa teased. Octavia gave her a horror-stricken face.

"Oh no." Octavia said. "Not that, please." They all laughed for a bit. "No, seriously." Octavia continued. "That was really good, you weren't serious were you?"

"Never mind her." Clarke said, standing and helping to clear the table. "Her diet consists mainly of pizza, pop tarts and Ramen noodles."

Octavia gave Clarke an offended look. "Hey, I can make macaroni and cheese too." She said.

"Yeah, as long as it comes in a bowl you can just at water to." Clarke said. "I know, I know it gets a lot harder, when you have to open the packet of powered cheese and add the butter and milk on your own."

Octavia reflexively reared back and let the back of her hand fly at Clarke's shoulder. It was a harmless gesture that Octavia had probably done a hundred times before. This time though, Lexa was there and in a matching reflex her hand shot out, catching Octavia's in a painfully tight grip.

"Woah, Lexa, it's okay." Clarke said immediately. Lexa let go right away, apologizing to Octavia over and over again, an embarrassed flush coloring her cheeks. She apologized to Clarke as well.

"It's okay." Clarke said. "Geez, I thought I was supposed to be the protective one."

"I'm sorry." Lexa repeated. "Are you okay?" She asked Octavia.

Octavia laughed it off. "Yeah, I was raised by an older brother. I can take a lot more than that."

Lexa nodded, pausing briefly, appearing to turn something over in her mind a few times. "While we're on the subject." Lexa said. "There was something I'd like to talk to both of you about." They placed their dishes in the sink, soaking them in warm water. "Would you two mind waiting out back on the patio? I'll be right out."

Clarke looked to Octavia. Octavia shrugged, and Clarke looked back to Lexa. "Sure." Clarke said. She turned and led Octavia out through the back doors, while Lexa disappeared in the opposite direction.

"You have any idea what's going on?" Octavia asked. Clarke shook her head. Lexa came outside a moment later, followed shortly by Indra.

Lexa acknowledged Clarke's questioning glance as Indra came up to stand beside Lexa. "I know I said that we don't go around hunting bad guys, and we don't." Said Lexa. "But we do fight, a lot. It's something that's been ingrained in us for generations and generations." She stepped up close to Clarke, taking both of Clarke's hands in her own. "You remember the first day we met, when I thought you were challenging me?" She asked. Clarke nodded, the corner of her lips turning up into a smile. "Well, someday another alpha is going to come here, and if you're going to be our alpha, than you need to be able to fight like an alpha." Clarke's smile quickly faded. Her eyes grew large. "It's not just alphas that need to know how to fight though." Lexa continued. "Before the coalition was formed, fighting between the packs was frequent and brutal, and every member of the pack was needed. We continue to train, just in case we have to resort to those methods again. Octavia, you're going to train with Indra. She has agreed to take you on as her second." She turned back to Clarke, lowering her voice slightly. "Clarke, I'm going to train with you myself. I'm going to teach you everything I know. I'm going to make sure that you're ready for anything that might come our way."

Lexa's brilliant green eyes held a determined intensity to them. The thought of boa crossed her mind, but Lexa set her jaw and refused to let those thoughts enter her mind. She would not lose anyone else to that bitch. Nia would not take Clarke, and Lexa was going to make sure of it.

So on that day they began training, and they would continue training. At least three days a week. Every week.

Nearly 1,600 miles away, in a small town near Amarillo, Texas, Emerson pulled into the parking lot of a rundown motel. Climbing out of his SUV, Carl stretched his legs, flexing and cracking his neck. He'd followed a leads from Memphis, to New Orleans, to Corpus Christi, and now this little shit-hole in the middle of the desert. He'd been on the road for more than three straight days tracking Nia's son, Roan, and whenever he found the ungrateful bastard, he swore to himself that he was going to beat the shit out of him.

He didn't even bother checking in right away, instead heading across the parking lot to the small bar that was situated right next to the street. The bar was dark. The thick, stale air was hot and smelled of smoke, cigarettes and marijuana, stale beer and sweat. The floor was sticky and the music was loud.

Roan sat at the bar in a dark corner. The scent of the man who entered struck him like the smell of a wet dog. He sneered into his pint. The man wore heavy boots, the sound of his steps, Roan could pick up even over the cacophony of the music and drunken conversation and laughter. Roan finished his pint, stood and disappeared out the back door, before the other man even reached the bar.

Emerson, pulled a photo from his jacket pocket, showing the bartender, and the bartender nodded over to the corner where there was nothing but an empty pint glass and an empty bar stool.

Emerson cursed under his breath, walking over to the empty bar stool, the smell was faint and hard to pick up with all the other scents swirling around, but he identified Roan through all of it. The trail was impossible to follow for very far, as it led right past the bathrooms which reeked as if they hadn't been cleaned, ever. Emerson cursed again, shaking his head, deciding to leave the way he came in. He'd either pick up the trail tomorrow, or catch up with Roan in the next city. He was getting closer.

He crossed the parking lot, back to his SUV. Deciding to check into the motel for the night, he grabbed his duffle bag from the backseat. Shutting the rear passenger side door, he caught a glimpse of the reflection only a split-second before his face was forced through the glass of the car window. The full weight of Roan's foot landed on the back of Emerson's knee and a sickening snap seemed to echo across the parking lot. Emerson fell to the ground, sliding down the side of his car, his leg broken, his face decorated with tiny cuts and abrasions.

Roan sank into a casual crouch. "In as few words as possible, tell me why you've been following me." Roan said. Emerson hissed in pain as he tried to adjust into a more comfortable position.

"Your mom is looking for you." Emerson said.

A cruel smile lit across Roan's face. "So, you're my mom's new bitch." Roan let out a humorless laugh. "So why now?" Roan asked.

Emerson grimaced again, examining his leg, bent at an odd angle. "She says it's time, she says the Trikru pack is weak now. They're led by an omega."

Roan shook his head. That didn't make sense. "Trikru has been led by an omega for years now. What aren't you telling me?"

Emerson hesitated, but only for a moment. "There's a new alpha in Trikru's territory. One that is growing close to Lexa. Nia is afraid that if Lexa and this alpha mate, than their leadership will be solidified, and she'll miss her opportunity to take over Trikru territory."

Roan nodded at that. That sounded more like his mother.

"She said that if you come back and take care of this, she'll give you a leadership position. The regent of Trikru territory." Emerson said. Roan was amused. He could tell how much it pained the loyal lapdog to make that offer. Surely Emerson thought that he deserved to be regent, not Roan, the prodigal son.

"So she needs me to her dirty work." Roan said dryly. "Again."

Emerson didn't respond, he was having a hard enough time trying to focus through the pain. Roan stood quickly, slamming his knee into the side of Emerson's head, slamming his head into the side panel of the car, knocking him unconscious.

Roan turned and walked away. It had been a long time since he'd been home, since his mom had excommunicated him from the pack. He didn't particularly want to return, but his instinct to respond to the Alpha's orders was too strong. Like when the wolf's howl carried over the mountains, or across the plains, it was impossible not to echo it back.

Nearly a week after Mt. Weather, Clarke seemed to finally be settling into a routine. If not a routine, at least she had found some kind of balance, between her life at Forrest Glenn, and living with her mom.

That first day, the four of them had trained until it was nearly dark. Clarke and Octavia were both sore and covered in bruises. Indra was relentlessly powerful, and there was no match for Lexa's speed and skill.

When Lexa finally brought their session to an end, Octavia and Clarke both approached, weary and tired, but they both felt good as well.

"Shall we continue this the day after tomorrow?" Lexa asked. Without even looking to Octavia, Clarke nodded.

"Yes." She said, knowing that Lexa was right. If she was going to be the Alpha, then she needed to be able to defend her pack and territory. She was a little surprised though, that Octavia agreed just as quickly. Whether she felt an allegiance to the pack already as well, or was just following along with Clarke, Clarke wasn't sure, but she guessed it didn't matter which was true.

"You should turn." Indra said, speaking to both Clarke and Octavia. "You'll heal faster that way." Clarke and Lexa both nodded in agreement, before Indra turned and headed inside.

"She's right." Clarke told Octavia. Octavia visibly swallowed, but nodded.

"I'll wait for you inside." Lexa said softly to Clarke. Clarke nodded, and began to undress, staring after Lexa as she headed into the house.

"So, you and Lexa?" Octavia said, toeing off her shoes, and peeling her shirt over her head. It was soaked with sweat and clung to her body. She winced as she struggled to lift her arms over her head.

"Yeah." Clarke nodded, but didn't add anything further. Instead she just undid her pants and shucked them down her legs. "Remember," Clarke said, recalling some of Lexa's earliest words of advice. "The change is something you let happen, not something you make happen." Octavia nodded, and then Clarke began to change first. Octavia followed her lead an instant later.

The two wolves took off across the yard, one pale yellow, the other a marbled dark brown and black. Lexa watched from the kitchen window, her chest swelled as she watched how closely Octavia followed Clarke. Clarke was a natural alpha. It would take a while for Lexa's pack to get used to her, but they'd accept her. Lexa's only fear now was if Clarke would accept her. What if Clarke decided she didn't want to bond? She was still a young woman after all, still with a vivid memory of being human, and the dreams she had had. To suddenly be mated with someone for life was a heavy price. Not only to suddenly be tied to an individual, but a whole pack. To have that weight thrust upon her shoulders, could Lexa expect that of her? Ask that of her?

Lexa shook her head. There was no use considering all those scenarios. All she could do was express her own feelings, and let Clarke make her own decision. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. Her feelings. Feelings that had grown so powerful so quickly. Those feelings terrified her now. She was completely at the mercy of those feelings, and if she had it all to do over again, she knew that she would willingly submit to those feelings over and over.

As always, Clarke felt amazing when she ran. A sense of clarity came over her, as if everything in that moment made sense. Everything seemed simpler and the world was as it should be. It felt natural to have someone running at her side, and while she wasn't surprised that a part of her wished it was Lexa, she was surprised that another part of her wished she had her whole pack with her. She imaged a group of them, scattered out in a rough formation, running through the woods. Each one of them following her lead.

Clarke led Octavia to a tall rise. At the top there was a large flat rock, on which she took a seat, resting back on her haunches. Octavia came up beside her, taking a seat to rest as well. Octavia looked to Clarke, and followed her gaze to the edge of a house, protruding from the trees in the distance. She realized that that was Clarke's house, but she also realized, possibly at the same time as Clarke, that it might not be her home. She looked back to Clarke again, seeing what could possibly have been a hint of a smile at her lips. Then suddenly Clarke stood, and they headed back towards Forrest Glenn.

When they made it back to the house it was well after dark. They changed back into their human form and got dressed. The bruises faded, the cuts and abrasions healed. Clarke noticed there was still a twinge of soreness along her left side, but that would be gone after a good night's rest.

The entered into the kitchen to find Indra and Lexa sitting at the table, while Lincoln and a man that Clarke could only guess was Nyko, were cooking a massive meal. There was chicken and steak and sausages, potato salad and regular salad. Piles of food on serving trays were set out on the table.

Lexa introduced Nyko to both Clarke and Octavia, and he shook their hands in a massive hand of his own. Lexa then guided Clarke and Octavia towards the table, and Lincoln and Nyko brought over the last two trays of food. Indra sat at the far end of the table, with Lincoln to her right, and Nyko to her left. Clarke was more than a little shocked when Lexa guided her to the head of the table, where Lexa had sat earlier that day when they had eaten lunch. Octavia again sat down, immediately at Clarke's left, with Lincoln to the left of her. Lexa was at Clarke's right, but remained standing for a beat. There were places set, and glasses of wine already poured as Clarke and Octavia sat down.

Lexa reached out, raising her glass in the air. "To Clarke and Octavia." She said, visibly surprising them both. "We welcome you formally into the pack, and hope for many many years of kinship." Clarke and Octavia raised their glasses along with everyone else, and drank, and Lexa took her seat. Everyone reached out at once, piling food onto their plates, but once they had, then they all gave pause, not one of them touching their food. Clarke froze as she realized this, looking up as she scooped a helping of potato salad onto her plate. She looked to Lexa confused.

Lexa leaned close, speaking in a low tone. "We won't start until the Alpha does." She said. Lexa's eyes shone with something that Clarke could only identify as pride, and before she did anything else, she grabbed her fork and took a bite, signaling for everyone else to do the same. Her eyes fell back on Lexa's then, and they reached out simultaneously, taking each other's hand beneath the table.

That one little ritual was the only dose of formality over dinner. The rest was a raucous affair with the room filled with the din of laughter and conversation. A feeling filled Clarke that she'd never had before, at least not on this level. She'd felt something similar, long ago, back when her father was alive, and she'd eat dinner around a large table, and the friends of the family would come over. It had been so long though. All throughout the meal she shared loving glances with Lexa.

She heard stories about members of the pack. She heard stories that she'd heard before, as Octavia retold accounts of her and her brother's childhood. She heard stories about Lexa's childhood, though Lexa was quick to shut those down.

All too soon, the meal was done and Indra and Lexa were clearing the dishes. It seemed an unspoken rule that whoever cooked didn't have to help cleanup, and Clarke that was one hundred percent fair, especially after the meal she had just had. Her and Octavia even helped, even though Lexa tried her best to shoo them away from the sink.

It was soon after eleven and everyone was beginning to retire to their rooms. "You're welcome to stay." Lexa said to Octavia. Octavia thought about it for a long moment. She had very much enjoyed her time with the pack, as she was used to it only being her and her brother, and most of the time Raven too, but it was still not the same.

She shook her head though. "No." She said. "I should get back. There are some things I still need to talk to Bellamy about."

Lexa nodded.

"I can give you a ride into town." Lincoln offered. Octavia accepted it gratefully, not feeling like walking all the way back home after the workout she'd had that afternoon.

"And how about you?" Lexa asked Clarke, once they were alone. She stepped up close, draping her arms around Clarke's neck. "You know you're welcome to stay too." She said.

"Oh, well that's very generous of you." Clarke replied, her hands naturally falling on Lexa's hips. Clarke leaned kissing Lexa's lips. Lexa felt the desire for more there, but Clarke pulled away Lexa out a disappointed sigh. "I should head back home too though." She said. "See my mom, let her know I haven't completely forgotten about her."

Lexa nodded in understanding. "Come on," she said, "I'll give you a ride."

"I bet you'd love to give me a ride." Clarke said, "but I told you I have to get home."

Lexa blushed, giving her a playful swat on the arm at the teasing smile she received from Clarke. Lexa shook her head, just leading the way outside to her jeep.

Most of the ride was taken in silence, in the warm dark interior of the jeep, where their hands were clasped together, fingers interlaces, resting on the middle console.

They pulled up in front of Clarke's house, a welcoming, cozy glow coming from inside. They paused, Clarke turned to Lexa and they shared another brief kiss.

"One of these days, you should meet my mom." Clarke said, as she pulled away. Lexa noted the car in the driveway.

"No time like the present." She said.

Clarke pulled back, sitting upright. "Now?" She said. "A-are you sure?"

Lexa shrugged. "Why not?" Clarke opened and then closed her mouth. Twice, without any words coming out.

"Okay." she said, finally. They climbed out of the jeep, Clarke waiting until Lexa came up beside her, and then they walked to the house hand in hand.

"You said that you did tell her I'm a werewolf, right?" Lexa asked.

"Yup." Clarke said, keeping her gaze straight ahead, trying to keep ahold of her nerves. "You nervous?" Clarke asked.

"Yup." Lexa said.

Clarke opened the door, and toed off her shoes, Lexa immediately following her example.

"Mom?" Clarke called out.

"In here, sweetie." Her mom replied, her voice coming from the kitchen.

Clarke led Lexa around the corner from the living room, and as soon as their eyes met, they both froze.

Silence fell over the room for several long heartbeats. Clarke wasn't about to lose her nerve now though.

"M-mom..." Clarke said finally. "This... this is my girlfriend, Lexa." The reassuring squeeze of Lexa's hand at the word 'girlfriend,' Clarke was sure was the only thing that allowed her to get the words out.

"Hello, Lexa." Abby replied, with a nervous swallow over her own as she put down her wine glass. "Clarke, this is Sheriff Marcus Kane."

He turned from where he sat on his stool, putting down his own glass of wine. "Hello, Clarke." He said, with an open, friendly smile. "Your mother has told me so much about you."


	6. In Sheep's Clothing

"Have you talked to your brother?" Lincoln's deep but gentle voice broke the silence, "I think he's having a hard time adjusting. You should speak to him about everything." Octavia was trying her hardest to continue pretending she was asleep. "Come on, I know you're not actually asleep. I heard the patterns of your breathing change when I spoke."

Octavia grumbled, opening her eyes and sitting up in the seat. "iHe's/i having a hard time adjusting?" Octavia let out a sigh. "He didn't talk to ime/i. There's a difference." She said, remembering the conversation, or lack there of rather, that morning before Bellamy left for work.

"He's your brother, Octavia. He loves you. He feels like he should have been there to protect you." He paused, turning into the parking lot at the garage. "You know, I can kind of get that." He said, pulling to a stop and putting the vehicle in park. "I kind of felt the same way, when we were in Mount Weather, and I knew you were chained up in the cell beside me. I felt like there was something I should have done when those men attacked us in the woods. Then, knowing there was nothing I could do as he turned you..." He looked over at her, to see that she was looking at him with hard eyes and a cocked eyebrow. "Look, all I'm saying is that he's feeling guilty, and you should talk to him. That's all."

"He's feeling sorry for himself, because he doesn't like the fact that he has a werewolf for a sister." She opened her door and got out, slamming it shut slightly harder than she intended. "Thanks for the ride." She muttered over her shoulder.

"Would you girls like something to eat?" Abby asked finally, after an indeterminable length of silence. She was sure that it had felt longer than it actually was.

"Um, no." Replied Clarke. "We actually just had a huge dinner. Lexa was just dropping me off, and we decided it was about time you guys actually met." Abby approached them, coming from around the counter, and held out her hand to Lexa.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lexa." Said Abby.

Lexa let herself relax a little for the first time since entering the house. "Likewise." She said. "Sorry if we interrupted your dinner."

Abby shook her head. "Not at all, we were just finishing up."

Lexa nodded, and turned to Clarke. "I should probably be getting back then." She said.

Clarke nodded. "I'll walk you out."

"It's was nice meeting you." Lexa said, to Abby "and you as well, Sheriff Kane."

"Please, it's Marcus, when I'm off duty." He waved, from his seat, and Clarke led Lexa to the door. Lexa stepped back into her shoes, while Clarke padded after her barefoot.

"God, that was weird." Clarke said, as soon as the door had shut behind them. The corner of Lexa's mouth turned up into a smile, that she was trying very hard to conceal.

"Why was that weird?" She asked. "Your mom is still an attractive woman, the sheriff is an attractive man..." She teased.

"Ew. Stop, please." Clarke said. "How'd he even get here?" She asked. "Where is his car?"

Lexa shrugged. "Maybe he was planning on spending the night?"

A shudder passed through Clarke, her eye giving an exaggerated twitch. "Ugh.. god. I think I'm gonna be sick." She said. Lexa laughed. Clarke lifted her hands, pressing them to her eyes, as if she could block out the mental image. "Why? Why would you do that to me?" She continued being disgusted until they reached Lexa's jeep. Lexa turned to face Clarke, gently taking Clarke's wrists, and pulling them away from her face.

"Weird." Clarke repeated in a muttered tone, shaking her head. Lexa was still facing her, wearing a large smile. She took Clarke's face in her hands, and leaned in, pressing her lips against Clarke's, silencing any further remarks that Clarke had in regards to her mother.

Clarke gave in immediately, returning Lexa's kiss, lips parting to accept Lexa's tongue. It quickly became more than just a goodnight kiss, as Clarke's hand found a way to tangle itself in Lexa's dark, thick curls. She groaned, as Lexa finally pulled away, the taste of Lexa's mouth lingering on her lips.

"Goodnight." Lexa said softly, her voice a little husky sounding, her bright green eyes alight with something less than innocent. Clarke let her own hooded eyes shut for a moment, letting out deep breath.

"Goodnight." She repeated. She leaned in, quickly giving Lexa one last brief kiss, before hesitantly releasing Lexa. Her fingers lingering on Lexa's even as Lexa pulled away, until finally they broke contact, and Clarke's hand dropped back down to her side. She watched as Lexa climbed into her jeep, and pulled out of the driveway, and continued to watch until the headlights couldn't be seen anymore, because the trees grew too thick, for her to make them out in the night.

Clarke let out another deep breath, before turning and heading back into the house. She met her mother and Kane at the door, seemingly on their way out.

"I'll be back soon, honey." Abby said. "I just need to drop Marcus off at the station, where his car is."

Clarke nodded, and her mom and the sheriff left. She didn't bother watching them get into her mom's car and leave, instead just heading up to her room. It felt weird being back in her room after everything that had happened recently. It was like a normal teenage girl's room, and she felt like anything but a normal teenage girl at the moment.

Clarke hadn't had a moment to herself since Mount Weather, and that was probably a good thing. Now that she was alone, she felt the true weight of everything that had happened, and everything she had done. She knew that she did what she had to do, both to save the members of her pack, including Octavia, and for the good of her species, werewolves in general, but that didn't make it any easier. She'd torn into men with her claws, felt the warmth of their blood on her fingers. She felt her chest tighten, her eyes welled up, and her breathing came in short, labored breaths. She clenched her eyes shut tight, and her fists balled up, pressed into the mattress at her sides. When that didn't work, she hurriedly fumbled for her phone, dialing the only number that she thought would help.

"Clarke, we said goodnight already." Lexa answered, the smile audible in her voice. "I'm not even home yet..." Silence. "Clarke?" She asked when there was no response.

Clarke could only reply with a choked out sob. Lexa's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach at the strangled sound.

"Clarke?" Her voice so tender and so soft. "Clarke, what's wrong? Talk to me." She said.

"I-I..." Clarke sniffled, wiping away the tears that had started to stream down her cheeks without her permission. "I'm sorry, I don't what happened." Clarke said. "One minute I was fine, the next I was thinking about The Mountain, and... I just..."

"Shhh... Clarke, it's okay." Lexa said. "You have no need to apologize." She heard Clarke sniffle again, and wished there was something she could do or say that would take away her pain. She wished she was there so that she could hold Clarke. Unfortunately there wasn't. She wasn't. She would have been lying if asked that she hadn't debated about turning her jeep around and driving directly back to Clarke's house in that moment. "Listen Clarke," Lexa said finally. "The only thing that will make living with what we did any easier, is time, and knowing that we're not alone in this, okay?"

Clarke nodded, sniffling again, and getting her breathing under control. God, how Lexa yearned to hold Clarke close at that moment.

"Did you just nod, I couldn't tell." Lexa said. A small laugh escaped Clarke's lips, causing her to cough a little, still short of breath. Somehow she still managed to get a 'yes,' out though, which brought a slight wave of relief over Lexa. Both the acknowledgement that it'd be okay, and the laughing, helped to convince Lexa that Clarke would in fact be okay.

"Okay." Lexa said. "You did the right thing, calling me. You can call me anytime. You know that."

"I know." Clarke replied finally. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, babe." That last word just slipping out without Lexa's permission, but she liked the way it sounded. Clarke did too.

"Goodnight." Clarke said for the second time that night, this time the smile could be heard in her voice.

"Goodnight." Lexa repeated back to her. They hung up, and Clarke let out a deep breath. She still felt that weight upon her, the weight of what she had done, what had happened, but it wasn't a crushing weight anymore. It took only another moment for her to decide that the best way to take her mind off of everything would be to take a long hot bath.

As Octavia climbed the stairs to her apartment, she could sense her brother's disquieting presence and even feel his foul mood. She paused at the door, listening to his footsteps as he paced to the kitchen. She heard him open the fridge and then a bottle of beer, then she listened as he walked back to the living room and took a seat on the couch.

She took a deep breath, her hand on the doorknob, before she opened it and let herself in.

"Hey Bell." She said, as he turned his head to see her come in. "Sorry I'm so late." She offered up amicably. "I was with Clarke, at Lexa's place."

He just hummed in reply, making a face, and taking another sip of his beer. Octavia felt her jaw clench, but took a deep breath through her nose, to calm herself.

"Look, I know this isn't easy for you either." She said, taking a seat on the couch next to him, with her feet curled up under her. "I have to try and understand this though. Clarke and Lexa can teach me things. How to control it. How to live with it."

He grunted a response, and she reached out putting her hand on his arm. He flinched. Not in a horrible way. It wasn't like he leapt off the couch and spilled his beer or anything. Honestly it was barely noticeable. Octavia did notice though, and Bellamy instantly knew Octavia noticed.

"O..." He said, turning to look at her for the first time. His eyes were large and apologetic, and quickly growing wet. Not as wet as hers though. She pulled back, shaking her head as she stood. "O, I'm sorry." He said. She turned, hurrying down the hallway to her room, where she slammed the door behind her.

Bellamy slouched back into the couch, muttering to himself as he finished his beer.

That night Octavia dreamed of running through the trees. Or at least that's how it started. Suddenly the trees turned hard and gray and she found herself in a concrete tunnel. Her claws clicked on the ground as she ran down the corridor, feeling as if the walls were closing in on her. Then her brother was there, standing in front of her, with his arms folded across his chest. She lunged at him reflexively, her jaw gnashing, snapping, she felt feral, wild. She felt uncontrollable shame filling her, but she had no control of her body's actions in the dream. Then she was restrained. Bound with a short length of chain, attached to a thick leather collar. She pulled against the chain with all her might, but it was no use, and the whole time her brother just stood there watching her struggle. Her anger faded as fear took its place. She tried asking for his help, pleading, but her voice just echoed in her head, unable to speak to him, or communicate with him in any way while in her wolf form.

"You deserve this." He said.

Octavia sat bolt upright in her bed, shivering with a cold sweat, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She looked down at her hands, realizing her claws were out and had sliced into her mattress in her sleep. Her mouth was also filled with the taste of blood, and as she incidentally sliced her tongue open, she realized that her fangs were showing also. She shut her eyes tightly, focusing on her breathing, slowly calming herself until her teeth and fingernails had finally returned to normal. Reaching over to her nightstand, she checked the time on her phone. It wasn't even midnight yet. She'd gotten literally less than an hour of sleep.

She growled sourly as she inspected the damage to her mattress. "Damn it." She muttered. She covered up the damage with her blanket, grabbing a spare from her closet to cover up with. Between the two blankets, she snuggled up, curling into a ball, and tried to get back to sleep.

The remainder of her night was restless. She kept tossing and turning, images from her dream constantly plaguing her whenever she closed her eyes.

She woke again, just as pale morning light filtered through her blinds. Figuring it would be easier to get up and do something, than pretend to try and get back to sleep, she got out of bed and trudged to take a shower.

Anya sat at her desk. It was well after dark and she was nearly the last person left in the office. Pushing herself away from her desk, she rubbed her tired eyes. It had been three days, and she hadn't been able to find a single thing that might point to any general in the DOD working with Mount Weather. Of course it had been a long, slow process, because she had to be extremely careful searching files that she didn't have security clearance for. Finally she stood, grabbing her leather jacket from the back of her chair, and got ready to go home for the night. She was just about to switch off her computer when the *dink* of a notification popped up in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

Leaning over her desk, she clicked on it, hoping it would be one of the contacts she reached out to about the general. It would end up leading her to the general, but not the way she expected.

When Anya had started at the FBI, she'd set up alerts so that she'd be notified whenever someone ran a background check on one of the members of her pack. It was another one of the several precautionary measures she had put in place, along with the phone taps and the low-jacks.

The notification she received that night, was an alert notifying her that a background check had been run on Gustus. She wasn't worried for Gustus so much, he had one of the strongest cover stories of any member of the pack, second to hers maybe. What caught her attention though, was when she saw the name of the person who had issued the background check. It was from a Gen. Charles Pike.

Anya stood there for several minutes, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Her common sense told her that there was no way that could be a coincidence. They were looking for a General, and a General just happens to run a background check on Gustus. Another part of her though tried to deny it. What would a General want with an anthropology professor anyway? To her knowledge there was no reason for Gustus to be in touch with a General. The more she thought about it the more worried she became. Something definitely wasn't right.

She shut off her computer and hurried from the building. Once she was in her car and out of the parking garage, she dialed Lexa on her phone.

"I think I found the General." Anya said, after their usual greetings. "And if I'm right, he just did a background check on Gustus."

"Gustus?" Lexa repeated. "That doesn't make sense, Gustus wasn't even at Mount Weather that night."

"I know, that's what's got me worried too." Replied Anya. "That means he must have met, or heard of Gustus from somewhere else." Lexa was quiet, considering her options, but not coming up with anything, short of barging into Gustus' place and demanding an answer. Little did she know, that Anya was thinking the same exact thing. Blowing through a stop sign as she leaned against the turn, the tires screeched as her black Charger flew around Dupont Circle, heading directly towards American University.

She knew that the university had provided Gustus with housing during his stay. A small apartment just off campus, and thanks to her habit of knowing just a little too much about everyone, she had his temporary address already in her phone. Right down to the unit number.

She pulled up to the curb, about half a block from his building. There were sparse groups of college kids, walking to and from their night classes in couples or small groups, but mostly it was quiet. It was almost nine o'clock at night. Any college kid in their right mind would either be at home studying or out getting drunk by now, depending on the person, Anya figured.

From where she was parked, she couldn't tell if he was home or not. There was no way for her to pick out his individual scent from that distance, with a whole city of smells swirling around her. The good news was that that worked both ways, so there would be no way for him to be able to know she was there yet either.

She paused for only a moment. The sensible side of her brain telling her she should come up with a plan. She almost never listened to that side of her brain. In just moments she was across the street and down the block. She took the stairs three at a time, to the second floor of the garden-style apartment complex. She paused at the door. She could hear him moving around, sounding panicked. He must have heard, or smelled her as she approached. He was too late though. With a good swift kick, placing the ball of her foot adjacent to the door handle, the frame splintered and the door swung open, bashing against the wall.

"Gustus!" Anya growled.

"Anya! What the hell?" He said.

"What do you know about General Pike?" She said, starting right in on him, without giving him any explanation, or even apologizing for his door.

At the mention of the General, Gustus' lips tightened into a thin line, his eyes lit with anger. "I don't answer to you." He said coldly, with a growl low in his throat.

"You're damn right. That's why I'm taking you to Lexa." She said. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Lexa?" He said. "Don't you mean, Clarke? We both know she's going to be alpha soon enough, and then what? Our pack is barely managing as it is. That runt will be our ruin."

"Are you gonna shut up and come with me, or not?" Anya said, seemingly ignoring everything the big man said.

Gustus lowered his chin, looking at her from under his dark heavy brow. He set his feet and clenched his fists. "Make me." He growled.

A full smile spread slowly across Anya's lips.

She made her move. A lighting fast feint to one side, before she was within his arm's reach on the other side. Hooking a leg around his, and bringing an arm across his neck, she effortlessly took him to the ground. He had his size and strength though, and there was no way she could keep him pinned without softening him up a bit first.

He was easily able to roll over, but she managed to slip from his grasp before he pinned her. She knew that if he got his full weight on top of her, there would be very little she could do. He may have had the size and strength, but she had speed and technique. She also had the benefit of being thoroughly trained at Quantico in Krav Maga and Jiujitsu. Suddenly he found himself on his hands and knees and she, surprisingly, was not beneath him. That was when her boot struck him firmly in the side of the head. She spun all the way around, still in a low crouch, watching as he tried to recover.

He rose up, staggering, swinging a big, meaty fist, but his punch was clumsy and slow, and she dodged it easily, landing two of her own in his gut and solar plexus. With him half keeled over, it was easy to sweep his legs again, and he went down hard. This time catching the edge of he coffee table, splintering the cheap piece of IKEA furniture into about a dozen pieces. This time, Anya was able to flip him onto his stomach, wrenching his arm hard behind his back.

"Well," she huffed, tossing her hair from her face. "Wasn't that fun?" She was able to lift him to his feet, holding him with one hand on his twisted wrist, the other with a fistful of the collar of his shirt. She unceremoniously pushed him this way and that, around the scattered debris of what was once his coffee table and out through what was once his front door. Two or three of his neighbors had their heads peeking out from their homes, and she walked him down the stairs.

"FBI." She said. "Everything's fine, go back inside." Finally Anya pushed his head down and stuffed Gustus into the backseat of her car, taking the time to cuff him to the overhead handle.

"Is that necessary?" He asked. She ignored him as she slammed the door, and climbed in behind the wheel.

Roan stood on the sidewalk, staring across the street at his family home. It reeked of nostalgia and memories, some of them good. Most of them not. He was sure that his mother had been alerted to his presence already, and he could just imagine her sitting in the study, tea at the ready, reclining in her chair with a smug smile on her face. The anger bristled up the back of his neck.

The house was a colonial style, set in the middle of the historic district. It was white with about a dozen steps that led up to the front door, and sat right on the sidewalk with no front yard to speak of. It was tall and narrow, but went back nearly a full block, concealing a courtyard garden within. He forced his anger back down, placing a perfectly neutral look on his face, before stepping off the curb and crossing the cobblestone street.

He climbed the steps and let himself in without knocking. The house was eerily quiet. He was wrong. She wasn't in the study, she was in the garden. He followed her scent, only to find that everything else he had pictured was true though.

"Where's Emerson?" Were the first words out of her mouth. 'Figures.' He thought. He wasn't sure why after two years of exile, he thought his mother might have actually missed him at all.

"Who?" He replied indifferently, staring blankly off across the garden.

She looked up at him with a sour face. He'd let his hair grow far too long again, and his light brown stubble had started to gray, but other than that he looked the almost exactly the same. Tall, broad shoulders, angular jaw and cheekbones, with the Frost family eyes, cold and gray.

"Look son," She said, as sat up a little straighter, and set her tea aside on the small round glass table next to her chair. "I know we've had our differences-"

Roan couldn't help but let the sardonic scoff escape past his lips. "Enough." He said. "Just tell me why I'm here, and I'll save you the trouble of pretending you're happy to see me."

"That mouth." Nia said. "I swear, if you weren't my son..."

He turned, looking at her for the first time, his eyes, boring into hers. Her jaw clenched and she fell silent. He had absolutely no respect for the pack hierarchy, but she knew he wouldn't dare challenge her. She finally averted her gaze, picking up a photo that was on the tea tray on the table next to her.

She handed it to him. "Kill her." She said.

He let half a smirk curl the corner of his mouth. "This is the alpha you're so afraid of? She's a child."

Nia gave him a cold look, but he simply turned away, chuckling to himself as he left the garden.

It was another day and a half before Emerson walked through the front door of Nia's house, tail tucked between his legs so to speak. He didn't explain what had happened, but Nia guessed that Emerson's meeting with her son went about as she assumed it would. He probably took his time to heal before he headed back home.

"Well done." Nia said, before Emerson had a chance to even open his mouth. "My son was here the day before yesterday, and accepted my offer. You did well." She watched, as he stood up a little straighter. His need for her approval was slightly disgusting, even to her.

"Thank you, Alpha." He said.

"Now it's time for us to tie up the final loose end from Mount Weather." She said. "The General. I need you to draw him out, and then eliminate him."

"Yes, Alpha." Emerson replied, then he was dismissed.

"There's a call for you on the secure line, General, it's... he says it's Emerson." Pike's secretary said.

Pike's head shot up from the paperwork he was looking at in shock. "Are we sure it's him?"

The secretary shrugged. "His security code checked out." She said. Pike nodded, and allowed his secretary to leave the room. He waited until his door was fully closed before picking up the phone.

"Hello." He said. "This is General Pike."

There was a substantial pause. "It's Emerson."

"Emerson?" Pike said, the surprise evident at actually hearing the man's voice. "I thought you were dead. I got a report from Mount Weather, informing me that you had been killed in a lab accident almost two months ago."

Emerson let out a short, harsh laugh. "I may as well have been."

"Well, what happened?" Pike asked.

"Listen General, I don't know what they were trying to do, but they were working way outside of their protocols. I have some files that I need to give to you."

"Woah, woah, woah..." Said Pike. "Just calm down, son. Tell me, where have you been all this time, first of all?"

Emerson let out a deep breath over the phone. "In hiding." He replied. "They tried to use me as one of their fucking lab rats. I managed to escape," he explained, "but I've been laying low. I heard about what happened to the lab though, and knew that I had to reach out to someone. You're the only person I trust, General." There was a pause. Emerson tried to tell whether or not the General would believe his lie.

"Alright then." The General said. "I can bring you in. Where are you?"

The alarm went off dreadfully early, her phone buzzing as it danced slowly across her nightstand.

Raven's hand shot out to pick it up, silencing it as quickly as possible. She dropped it on the carpet, and rolled over to find a gentle smile and bright eyes, framed in light brown curls, smiling back at her.

"Good morning." Gina said.

"No it's not." Raven groaned, burying her face in her pillow. She had never been a morning person.

She felt gentle fingers stroking her hair. "I'm glad you called me last night." Gina said.

Finally Raven, lifted her face, turning her head to the side to look back at Gina. "Me too." She said. They laid there in sweet silence for a few moments before Raven finally rolled back over with a groan, swinging her feet over the side of the bed.

She grabbed the crutches begrudgingly. She kept them next to her bed so that she wouldn't have to deal with her brace, just in case she had to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

Using them with practiced ease, she crossed her room to the bathroom. She wasn't sure what she was doing. She liked Gina, but things were still weird. It had been three days since the whole Mount Weather... thing, and things at the Blake residence hadn't gotten any better. Bellamy and Octavia seemed to be avoiding each other, and now both of them were trying to come to her for advice. At first it had just been Octavia, and Raven had tried to help her, she really had, but there was nothing Raven could really do. She understood both sides.

Raven had been having her own trouble trying to deal with the whole situation as well. She was glad that they had gotten Octavia and the others back, she'd just never been involved with anything like that before. She'd never seen anything like what she saw that night. If she was being honest, she'd called Gina over, hoping they would get drunk and screw and it would take her mind off of everything, but it didn't. Not really. She couldn't fully relax around Gina, because she was afraid that she'd accidentally let something slip. With Bellamy and Octavia constantly around asking her for advice, she just wished that there was someone that she could talk to about it as well. There was no way Bellamy would sit through the kind of discussion that Raven wanted to have though, and Octavia was dealing with way more than she should be forced to deal with, so Raven didn't want to pester her. Raven was so curious though. She found the whole thing fascinating really, and maybe that was why she felt bad. Maybe it wasn't because of what she had seen or done, maybe it was because she was feeling guilty about not feeling guilty.

Finally Raven let out a heavy sigh. She shook her head, and took a moment to splash some cold water on her face before leaving the bathroom. When she reentered her bedroom, she found Gina sitting on the other side of her bed, already dressed and tying her shoes.

"Hey babe," she said. "Sorry I gotta run, but I have to get home and shower, and then open the pizza joint by 10 to start the ovens."

"No biggie." Raven replied, sitting down on the bed, and falling onto her back. Gina leaned over her with a small smile as she stood, giving her an upside down kiss. It was quick and gentle, and then Gina was headed out.

"Call me later?" She said.

"Yup." Replied Raven.

Raven let out another sigh once she was alone. What was she going to do? She shook her head, deciding firstly to stop feeling sorry for herself. She got dressed for the day, had a breakfast of Pop Tarts and a diet coke, and then went downstairs to open the garage.

"Again Clarke." Lexa said, as they separated and began circling each other once more. Lexa couldn't help the proud smile she wore. Clarke was a fast learner, and while she may never be the fastest or the strongest, she had great instinct, and a quick mind, often able to predict her enemies actions and find weak points in their defenses. "Attack."

Clarke moved quickly, feinting, ducking, hooking a leg behind Lexa's. Lexa had the experience though, so when Clarke tried to sweep her legs, it was easy for Lexa to take Clarke down with her.

Clarke had expected that though, she was no match for Lexa's lightning-quick hands when it came to exchanging blows, but on the ground they were on a slightly more even playing field.

"Good." Lexa said with a huff as she fell. Still smiling. "Use your strengths." She added, even as she slipped from Clarke's hold, which Clarke hadn't been able to lock into place quick enough. Clarke cursed under her breath as she felt Lexa's grip tighten on her wrist. She twisted and flipped, rolling over Lexa's back, flipping Lexa in the process. Lexa landed hard, a whoosh of air escaping her lungs. Lexa rose to her knees, spinning back around in one direction. Clarke fell to her back, spinning herself in the opposite direction. She caught Lexa's wrist as her legs lifted into the air. With Lexa's arm between her legs, she twisted it and pulled it to her chest, locking her ankles around Lexa's neck. Her lower body lifted off the ground until her back was straight up, and only her head and shoulder blades were still in the grass. She slammed Lexa sideways to the ground then a bit harder than she had intended as she was overwhelmed by the excitement of actually pulling of the complicated arm bar.

She immediately released Lexa, when she felt the tap of Lexa's hand on her thigh. "Are you okay?" She asked, but Lexa was already on her feet, a smile spread of ear to ear.

"That was very good, Clarke." She extended her hand to help up a bemused Clarke, who was still on her knees, sitting back on her heels. "That's enough for today." Lexa said, her voice carrying to the other two as well. Indra and Octavia were further out in the middle of the yard. If Clarke was a natural, Octavia was even more so. Not just in regards to close quarters combat, but being a werewolf in general. It seemed as if it came naturally to her.

'We don't know what exactly they injected into her.' Lexa reasoned, when Clarke had asked her opinion on the matter. It made Clarke work that much harder though, if she was completely honest. If she was going to be the Alpha, she felt like she had to at least be able to keep up with Octavia's learning curve, a wolf that had already willingly submitted to her. Lexa had tried to convince her not to be so hard on herself, but Clarke was stubborn.

Now, as the four of them headed back inside, she was definitely feeling it. She hung back, until Indra and Octavia were a ways ahead of them.

"You alright?" Lexa asked softly, her eyes edging on concerned.

Clarke nodded half-heartedly. Neither of them believed it.

"You don't need to push yourself so much." Lexa said gently.

"Yes." Clarke replied, her blue eyes looking straight into Lexa's. "I do."

Lexa nodded. "You should change." Lexa said, knowing that Clarke already knew that too. Lexa turned to head inside, but Clarke grabbed her hand before she could.

"Run with me tonight." Clarke said. Lexa stepped close, a bashful smile on her face. She leaned in, giving Clarke a gentle kiss on the lips, and then they began to undress each other. Lexa was so gentle as she removed Clarke's clothing, one piece at a time, from Clarke's battered body. Her touch was tender as she inspected every bruise. Clarke tried not to let her desire distract her, but she also began inspecting Lexa's body, for bruises that she knew weren't there... with her lips.

"We'll never get to run if you keep that up." Lexa breathed out in a slightly husky voice. Clarke straightened up slowly, running her tongue up the vein of Lexa's throat as she did. A small, barely noticeable shudder shook Lexa's body. Lexa's eyes narrowed, her lips tightening as Clarke stepped back with a smile. They could both easily detect the scent of arousal that Lexa was giving off. They were both growing more aroused by the second, as they stood there with each of them raking their eyes thirstily over the other.

Finally Clarke gave Lexa a curt nod, and began to shift. Lexa naturally followed her alpha's lead. It still hurt when Clarke shifted, which Lexa had told her it would always hurt to some degree, but it was another thing that bothered Clarke. Octavia already seemed almost used to it, after only a few sessions of sparring, and shifting after each one. Clarke still couldn't change without letting out some amount groaning and wincing and grimacing. That wouldn't do, if for whatever reason, she had to shift in front of Nia. She would be tested, and she would have to prove her strength.

Clarke let that determination fill her as her transformation completed, and she let it fuel her as her four legs carried her across the yard as fast as they could. She was pushing herself again. She knew it. Lexa though was at her side the entire time. Clarke glanced quickly over her shoulder, spotting the wolf with fur colored dark gray and light gray and tan. She was beautiful. Her brilliant green eyes caught Clarke's, and Lexa let out a playful yap. Then they were racing. There was no destination. No finish line. Just a contest to see who could lead the other.

In her wolf form Clarke's body wasn't ruled by thought. She didn't have the worries that she did in her human form, constantly weighing her down. In her wolf form, her wolf took over, her alpha took over. She ran faster because her instinct told her to. She lead because her instinct told her to. So after that playful challenge issued by Lexa, Clarke smiled inwardly, watching as Lexa took off ahead of her. Soon though, Clarke had caught up, and then she had passed Lexa. The two weaved through the trees, bounding effortlessly over fallen logs and boulders. Once she had the lead, Clarke refused to give it up. She wasn't entirely convinced Lexa was giving it her maximum effort, but it was still a boost to her ego, if not more so, knowing that Lexa followed her willingly.

Before they knew it they had reached the creek, where they stopped and thought nothing of drinking straight from the crystal clear, running water. Clarke looked up, as if suddenly realizing they were right behind her house. Clarke yapped, playfully nipping Lexa on her ear, and then bounded away up the hill. Lexa followed her alpha, around the front of the house, to where she had once seen Clarke leap onto the first floor roof, and then onto her balcony. She followed Clarke along that same route. Then she was in Clarke's bedroom.

Lexa's green eyes seemed to grow huge at the realization that this was the first time she had been in Clarke's room, and that amused Clarke greatly. Clarke wasn't sure if her wolf expressions clearly communicated that, but her playful behavior certainly did. She let out a bark, coming up and brushing her body up alongside Lexa's, giving her a light nip on the tail. That seemed to shake Lexa from her little trance, and then they were playfully bounding over the bed. The room was small for two wolves of their size, especially as they raced back and forth across the room, and around in circles at full speed. Muddy paw prints were left in their wake in the carpet and blankets. Neither of them seemed to care though as they continued their strange game of tag. That is until Clarke decided she'd had enough, flopping down on her belly on her bed, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she panted excitedly. Lexa immediately snuggled up to her. They continued to nip and yip and yap at each other, but it was quickly becoming less and less playful and more and more affectionate, until Lexa nuzzled her nose into the fur of Clarke's neck, their bodies pressed as close as they could physically get. Clarke gave Lexa's snout a quick lap of her tongue, and Lexa then laid her head down on her front paws, Clarke resting her head on top of Lexa's protectively, and together like that, they began to peacefully doze.

When Bellamy came home that night, Octavia was already in her PJs, a pair of soft athletic shorts and a t-shirt, and was sitting on the couch, her feet tucked up under her.

"Hey Bell." She said. "How was work?"

He seemed a little surprised to see her there, which was understandable, but after four days of ignoring each other, Octavia had decided enough was enough.

Bellamy simply hummed in reply though, giving his shoulders a shrug, as he dropped his bag and went to the kitchen.

"Come on Bell, I'm trying here. Give me something." Octavia said, trying to force a playful tone into her words.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked, leaning with both hands on the edge of the counter. He sounded exhausted.

"Well, a 'hello' would be nice." She said. "Maybe a 'how was your day, O?' or 'are you feeling alright, O?" She shook her head. "Hell, I'd settle for 'did you turn into a monster and eat anyone today?' just so I know where your minds at, Bell. I need you to talk to me."

Bellamy shook his head. She didn't get it. He had no right to be so fucking upset. She unfurled her legs, standing and moving to her brother, standing across the counter from him.

"I miss you bro." She said, her voice soft and sincere. "Can't we just go back to the way things were?" She tried forcing a smile. "Sure you were annoying as hell when you were overprotective, but at least we talked." She reached out, putting her hand on his. He stared down at her hand touching his for several silent moments.

"What do you want from me?" He said, suddenly yanking his away and standing up straight. Anger bristled up her spine and down her arms.

"I just told you what I fucking want." She yelled. "What do you want from me?" He gaped at her, looking like he didn't understand. "Well?" She continued to push, but he didn't reply. "Figures." She growled coldly. "You're all 'I'm the boss and I'm in charge' when you need me, but when I need you, where the fuck are you then?"

"That's not fair." He snapped.

"Fuck you." She snapped right back. "You're going to talk to me about ifair/i." Her tone was all anger, but her eyes grew wet, and her voice threatened to break. She turned away before the situation could get any worse. The only thing she could think of that would possibly help, was to get out of the apartment as quickly as possible. So she did. Leaving and slamming the door behind her on the way out.

Raven was sitting on her couch, she was wearing a pair of loose-fitting sweats and self-made sleeveless shirt with arm holes that reached halfway down her ribs. She was on her fifth beer of a six-pack. She had considered calling Gina over again but decided against it. At least this way she didn't have to share her beer.

She had heard Bellamy arrive home from work. His footfalls heavy in his boots as he climbed the stairs and she heard their apartment door open and close. Everything was quiet then, and why not. Octavia had told Raven that they were avoiding each other, so she figured Octavia must be in her room already, but then the yelling started.

Raven didn't try very hard to listen to it. She couldn't make out any of the words through the walls anyway, just the muffled angry tones. Then she heard the Blake's apartment door open and then slam shut again, and then there as a brief moment of silence. Peace. Then there was a gentle knock at her door. Raven groaned internally. So much for not having to share her beer.

"Come in." She said, already grabbing the last beer, and popping the cap off with her bottle opener.

Octavia opened the door, entering somewhat cautiously. "Hi." She said. Raven was holding out the already opened beer in offering. Octavia gave her a slight smile, approaching and accepting the beer as she sat down. She was too distracted by the offered beverage and her own thoughts to notice the way Raven was looking at her though.

She was barefoot. That was the first thing Raven noticed, then her eyes scanned up her friend's toned, golden tan legs to her very short shorts, and then the loose-fitting, worn t-shirt, before she met Octavia's shimmering green eyes. She recognized that they weren't shimmering in a good way though, and Raven immediately felt guilty about the direction her thoughts had been going.

Octavia collapsed onto the couch next to Raven, taking a big swig of her beer.

"So..." Raven started. "Want to talk about it?" Octavia shook her head. "Good... 'cause I'm wouldn't be..." She paused. She was drunker than she thought. Her head was heavy and clouded. "I'm not good would be..." She frowned at her bottle, inspecting it closer than she needed to.

Octavia let a small smile tease her lips, but it faded quickly. "Its okay." She said, patting Raven's leg. "You don't need to talk." She sat back and took another long drink from her bottle. Raven's mind still on that touch, that briefest of touches on her thigh. She let out a heavy breath, sitting back as well and emptied the last of her bottle.

They sat like that for several long minutes. Octavia finished her beer, but was surprised that it wasn't having the usual affect that it normally had. Instinct told her that it had something to do with being a werewolf.

"Well, shit." She muttered.

Raven hummed, a bit groggily. "What's up?" She asked.

"Beer doesn't seem to work anymore." Octavia said. "With the whole werewolf thing." She explained.

Raven shrugged. "Well maybe you just need something harder." She stood suddenly, almost falling over the coffee table and collection of empty bottles, forgetting she was drunk and that she wasn't wearing her leg brace. It would have been a disaster and probably a trip to the emergency room, if it weren't for Octavia's reflexes.

Raven realized what had almost happened a split-second too late. She was already caught up in Octavia's powerful arms. They were standing close, Octavia holding her tightly, with their bodies pressed together. Their eyes met, and Raven felt feelings that she'd long since buried flood through her again. Maybe it was the proximity, maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was a mix of both. She didn't know and she didn't really care at that point. There was no possible way she could have reasoned through it anyway, with all the chemicals, both natural and artificial that were coursing through her brain.

Those chemicals were like a siren to Octavia's wolf's senses. It wasn't just a smell but a feeling. She could sense the sudden and alarming shift in Raven's mood. She could sense the sudden tension of the situation, and when they locked eyes, it was as if she knew exactly what Raven was feeling. She had read somewhere long ago that dogs and other pets could sense changes in human moods, based on nonverbal and chemical signals. After all, around 90% of human communication is nonverbal and only 10% is verbal. At that moment though, it seemed that her inner wolf was fully in tune with that 90%, and Raven's nonverbals were screaming one thing that Octavia couldn't ignore.

Raven had a crush on Octavia, obviously. She always had, for as far back as she could remember them being friends. Clarke knew about it. Bellamy knew about it. Raven was pretty sure that even Octavia knew about it. Raven almost never spoke about it though, except on the rare, drunken occasion with Clarke. She'd managed to push it down so deep that she thought she had successfully walked away from those feelings, and in the process had managed to secure the best friendship she'd ever had, with anyone. Now though, all those feelings were back with vengeance. They were so powerful, brimming just below the surface, threatening to burst forth and overflow... and Octavia wasn't letting go. Why the hell wasn't Octavia letting her go?

Octavia couldn't think. Her mind and body were being flooded with so many different signals, both her own and Raven's that she couldn't sort them all out. They all clouded her brain and blurred together. The alcohol may have done nothing to distract her from her brother, but this was definitely doing the trick. Maybe a part of her didn't want to let go for that reason, but deep down, as she felt the warmth of Raven's feelings wash over her, she knew it was more than that. What she felt coming from Raven was something that she had never felt before, and as she tried to think back on their friendship, she realized that that warmth had always been there. In everything, every time that her and Raven were together. Octavia loved her brother, and she loved Clarke, but Raven was different. Raven was her best friend. Her one true friend that was always there and always understanding. The realization hit her, and it made her physically tense, which only resulted in her holding Raven tighter. Closer. After all this time. Could Raven be in love with her? Could she be in love with raven?

Time froze and blurred together all at once. Neither of them were sure who initiated it, and neither of them ever would be. Raven craned her neck down. Octavia rose up slightly on her toes, and then their lips met with mutual gasps of relief.

The kiss was hesitant at first, both testing the waters so to speak. Raven, eager, but not wanting to push too far. Octavia, willing, but kissing another girl for the first time. Neither, entirely sure what this would mean for their friendship going forward.

Raven's lips were soft though, Octavia knew that much, enjoying the way they caressed her own, enjoying the feeling of Raven's ribs beneath her roaming fingers. She barely realized that her hands were inside the arm holes of Raven's shirt, only inches from her bare breasts, even as Raven's breathing hitched at Octavia's touch.

Slowly, gently, Octavia lowered Raven back onto the couch, and carefully lowered herself into a straddling position over Raven's lap. Raven looked up at Octavia, her dark eyes large, her pupils swollen with desire and more so affection, but still questioning. The alcohol still affecting her brain, but the realization of what was happening was quickly bringing her to sober.

As Octavia settled, she cupped both sides of Raven's face. They shared an intimate few seconds of intense eye contact, both Raven's dark brown eyes and Octavia's brilliant green eyes growing misty, before Octavia leaned forward, recapturing Raven's lips.

There was no hesitation this time. No more uncertainty. Their lips parted, their tongues found each other, and the passion between them grew heated, igniting something deeper. Raven slid her hands up along Octavia's smooth, bare thighs, over her shorts, where her fingers dug into her friend's hips.

Octavia had her fingers interlaced at the base of Raven's neck, her fingers itching to tangle in her friend's dark hair, which was at the moment was up in a pony tail. As if she could read her friend's mind, Raven pulled away from the kiss, just long enough to pull the tie from her hair and give a slight shake of her head. It was the smallest, most insignificant action, which Octavia must have seen her do a millions times before, but in that moment, was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. Her fingers ran through Raven's hair pulling her back in for another kiss, this one deep and passionate, but sloppy and wet. Their desire building on it's self every time their lips met. Their kiss broke and restarted a few more times, as thin and worn polyblend fabric was pulled and tugged and lifted over their heads. Raven kissed her way wetly down Octavia's neck and throat, her teeth grazing Octavia's collarbone briefly, before she began to tenderly tongue Octavia's hard, pert nipples. Octavia sighed, letting her head fall back, luxuriating in the tightness building in her chest and in the wet heat beginning to gather between her thighs.

She'd never experienced another woman's mouth before. Hell, she'd never experienced a man's mouth either, not quite like this anyway. To be honest, her first experience with sex hadn't necessarily been pleasant. The second time was okay, but then Bellamy scared Atom off before their relationship could progress any further. Her thoughts came to a screeching halt as she felt finger slide beneath the waistband of her shorts.

Raven used her finger to pull a sharp gasp from Octavia's throat, causing the girl to bring her head back forward, a few rarely stray bangs hanging in front of her eyes, which were shining bright with lust. Raven's fingers were met with Octavia's wet heat, as the soft, smooth pads of her fingers stroked gently over Octavia's puffy, swollen lips. She brought the wetness back up to were those lips met, smearing it over her button, causing smooth slick friction as her finger began to circling Octavia slowly. She brushed against it with whisper soft touches again and again, for the longest time avoiding making full contact with the sensitive little nub.

Octavia's hips thrust to and fro in Raven's lap, her mouth muttering things that her brain wasn't telling her to say. Unintelligible sounds, coming out as murmurs and whimpers and growls.

Raven enjoyed the growls the most. She didn't know why, but there was something instinctual and feral about them, they were glimpses of Octavia animalistic desire showing through, and it got Raven so hot and wet. Almost as hot and wet as her fingers were making Octavia. Raven could feel the fabric of Octavia's shorts as the damp material began to cling to the back of her hand and fingers. Every time she brushed against Octavia's clit a fresh surge of wetness seeped from between her lips, and every time, Raven's fingers dipped down to gather it and spread it on and around Octavia's now very erect little button.

Octavia's hips moved with more urgency now, her fingers clenching tighter in Raven's hair. Raven lifted her mouth from where she was marking Octavia's chest with bruises and teeth marks, to fiercely recapture her friend's mouth, as she slid a finger into Octavia, and stroked against her clit firmly. Octavia immediately slammed herself down on the invading digit, the hot slick walls over her tunnel clenching around Raven's finger. Wetness spilling out of her as every muscle in her body convulsed as she peaked. She moaned and growled into Raven's mouth as she kissed Raven with bruising intensity, her teeth finally catching Raven's bottom lip, harder than she meant to. They both could taste the hint of blood, but neither of them were worried about that, as Octavia rode out her climax on Raven's lap.

"Holy shit." Octavia finally gasped. Slumping a little, her skin slick with sweat, and her bangs plastered to her forehead. She leaned forward until their foreheads touched. "You're really good at that." She said. A smile spread her lips as her chest rose and fell heavily as she caught her breath.

"Well," Raven answered, "I have had a little practice." They kissed again, briefly. "But watching someone come has never got me so hot before." She said. Her voice low and husky. Her fingers slid out of Octavia's shorts, and she sucked them clean, with her dark brown eyes still locked on Octavia's.

Octavia licked her lips. "I want to taste you too." She said. Her voice soft, but sure. Raven smiled, giving her a slight nod. Unexpectedly Octavia stood then. Then even more unexpectedly, she pulled Raven to her feet. Right there in the living room she unceremoniously, sank to her knees, and pulled down Raven's sweats, but then she stood back up. She surprised Raven yet again as Octavia's wrapped one arm around her back, and dipped to bring the other up under her knees, scooping Raven up in her arms. Raven squealed, reflexively wrapping her arms around Octavia's neck, as Octavia carefully carried Raven to her room, before practically tossing her onto the bed.

Raven couldn't help herself. Her smile broke into a giggle and then a laugh as she fell back onto the unmade mattress. She raised herself up onto her elbows, watching as Octavia peeled away her soaking wet shorts, which clung slightly to her still soaking pussy lips.

Raven's heated gaze began stirring things in Octavia again already, but she'd already made up her mind. She climbed onto the bed, crawling over Raven's body, lowering herself so that their lips met once more. They kissed again and again, the heat building up, enfolding them, closing in around them, and boiling inside them. Raven bent her knee, lifting her leg between Octavia's thighs. Octavia groaned at the contact and Raven smiled against Octavia's lips as she felt the surge of wetness seeping out and smearing over her skin as Octavia reluctantly began grinding herself on Raven's leg.

"Shit." Octavia muttered. "If I'd known it be like this..." She gasped. "I'm sorry I made you wait so long."

"Shhh" Raven replied, silencing Octavia with another deep kiss. Her hands reaching around grasping Octavia's butt firmly, guiding her hips to move harder, faster.

"I-I-I... shit... I t-thought I was going to get to taste you." Octavia's voice broke again and again as bolts of pleasure coursed through her body. Her forehead pressed against Raven's her hips rolling, sliding, grinding. The delicious friction, driving Octavia into a frenzied bliss.

"There'll be plenty of time for that later, babe." Raven panted. "I just wanna watch you get yourself off on me-"

"Shit." Octavia gasped, her fingers dug into the pillows beneath Raven's head.

"...just like that, babe." Raven smiled. "Fuck yeah, just like that. Let it out, babe."

Octavia thrust her hips faster, harder, whining and whimpering, lowering her head even further, nipping and biting Raven's neck and ear. The excruciatingly pleasurable tension knotting, and coiling somewhere deep below the pit of her stomach. Her toes curled, every muscle suddenly seizing violently as that tension suddenly snapped, exploding outward, lancing through her like an electric bolt of bliss. Her entire young body shook to the core by wave after wave of ecstasy. Hot white pleasure flashed in starbursts behind her tightly clenched eyelids, as her muffled cries and curses poured from her mouth into the pillow. It seemed to go on and on before Octavia's body finally went slack.

A groan of, "fuuuuck." Escaped her lips as her slick, sweaty body collapsed on top of Raven's. Her hair was even more of a mess than before, her chest heaving heavily as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Goddamn, that was so fucking sexy." Raven muttered into Octavia's hair. Octavia let out little laugh, that sounded weak and exhausted. She lifted herself up though, just enough so that she could look into Raven's deep brown eyes, and her own emerald orbs shone brightly with desire, her bottomless pupils blown to the extreme. Her hand began slowly trailing its way south, the soft pads of her fingers running over Raven's own skin glistening with a thin sheen of sweat, dipping between her breasts before passing with feather-light touches over her ribs and abdomen. Even though everything else about her indicated she was about ready to pass out, Octavia's eyes were still bright, lighting up even more as she held Raven's gaze, and her fingers reached the crux of Raven's thighs.

The events of the night so far, already had Raven's body thrumming like a tightly wound guitar string. As Octavia's fingers passed through the neatly trimmed patch of her pubic hair, now soaking with the spend of Octavia's climax, Raven knew that it wouldn't take much to probably set her off.

Octavia's fingers reached lower, finding glistening pearls of Ravens arousal already escaping, trailing down the crack of her ass. The gentle pad of Octavia's middle dipped down to her perineum, spreading the slick fluid back up and around Raven's entrance before pushing slowly and gently inside.

Raven's chin tilted upwards towards the ceiling, and her back arched slightly as Octavia's lips found her exposed throat. Octavia was no alpha, and Raven wasn't even wolf, but Octavia still had the overwhelming desire to mark Raven as hers. She didn't want to break the skin, or hurt Raven obviously, but she wanted the bruises she left behind to be visible for weeks, not days.

Raven's hips thrust gently but urgently up to meet Octavia's finger. "Fuck." She groaned. "More, I need more... ugh god... fingers." She moaned, emphasizing the plural. "One... two..." Her head shook from side to side. She wasn't sure how many, she couldn't think straight. Just more, that's all she knew.

Octavia slid her middle finger nearly all the way out, until only the first knuckle remained, then slid her index finger back in alongside it. She was met with an appreciative groan, and a fresh surge of wetness. She didn't stop there though. Watching raven's body undulate uncontrollably beneath her, Octavia pulled her fingers out completely. Raven's eyes shot open, the sigh of utter despair, caught in throat. Before she could fully register the loss of Octavia's fingers from inside, they'd already slid up, encircling her clit, standing proudly erect, peeking out from its hood.

"Fuck." Raven stated in complete shock at the ever so brief contact, and then those fingers were back inside the warm, welcoming wetness of her needy cunt. Octavia repeated this several times. Sliding in and out of Raven's sex, gathering as much of Raven's juices onto her fingers as she could, and then spreading them smoothly over her clit. The constant breaks in stimulation though we're driving Raven mad, each time the thrusting fingers would work her up to the brink, the sudden loss would tear a disappointed gasp from her throat, and then the feather-light stroke of her clit would get her going all over again.

Octavia's new wolf instincts offered her keen insight into exactly how to string her partner along. She figured she could have kept Raven on that raggedy edge all night if she wanted, but Raven was already muttering under her breath, pleading, begging for her climax, her head tossing ceaselessly from side to side, her hips jerking as she thrust to meet Octavia's invading digits, her golden body glistening and dripping with perspiration. Looking down on Raven in that state, Octavia felt overwhelming emotions filling her. She had denied Raven, and denied her own feelings for Raven, for so long, she resolved to never deny Raven anything again.

With that a third finger suddenly plunged as deep and hard into Raven's body as Octavia could manage, her thumb flicking rapidly over Raven's hard, throbbing clit. Raven's powerful inner muscles clamped down on Octavia's fingers like a slick, hot vice. Her hips shot off the mattress briefly, before she immediately collapsed to her side, her thighs snapping shut tight, trapping Octavia's arm. Even with her limited movement, Octavia continued pumping all the way through Raven's impressive climax, not stopping until Raven reached out with a hand and physically stilled her.

Octavia smiled, her eyes gleaming as Raven finally open her own eyes to meet Octavia's. Octavia's grin split from ear to ear as she felt Raven's come between her fingers, coating her hand and gently trickling down her wrist. As Raven finally released Octavia's arm, she brought her hand to her mouth, never breaking eye contact as she sucked her fingers into her mouth.

"Told you I wanted to taste you." She grinned. Raven smiled, still breathing heavily, still wracked by occasional aftershocks. She hummed in contented pleasure and agreement, pulling Octavia down to lie on top of her and kissing Octavia on the mouth, enjoying the flavor of herself on Octavia's lips.


	7. Running With Wolves

Everything was right. Everything was perfect. Clarke snuggled even closer, reveling in the warmth and closeness of Lexa's body. She nuzzled her nose through thick silky hair, pressing her body flush against Lexa from behind. They had fallen asleep in their wolf forms on top of the covers and had reverted back to their human forms at some point during the night.

"Good morning." Lexa mumbled, a soft smile in her voice.

"It sure is." Clarke hummed in reply.

Clarke's voice was slightly muffled by Lexa's hair, lips curling into a smile of her own. Her finger tips ran gently up the outside of Lexa's thigh, over the slight curve of her hips, before reaching and wrapping once again around her middle. Clarke placed a gentle kiss on Lexa's shoulder, and then another and then another. She ran her tongue along the nape of her neck, gently catching the lobe of Lexa's ear between her teeth. Clarke's hands weren't idle either though, the one beneath Lexa, able to reach far enough to clutch a soft but pert breast, the other slipping between Lexa's legs, stroking sensually, up and down her inner thighs. It was a good morning, and the sun wasn't even up yet, the moonlight gleaming silver off the curves of Lexa's body.

Lexa lifted her knee, exposing herself in blatant invitation, but Clarke's fingers continued to linger, avoiding Lexa's center, while still stoking the growing need radiating from within. Lexa let her eyes flutter shut, sucking both lips into her mouth between her teeth, stifling the soft sigh she felt building in her chest. Everywhere Clarke's fingers trailed seemed to bloom with goosebumps, the tingling warmth within her core quickly growing into desirous heat. A needy ache. She felt herself growing wet, struggling to keep her hips from beginning to move all on their own.

Suddenly her self-control snapped. Lexa spun herself with startling ease within Clarke's embrace. Her hand came up, her thumb at Clarke's ear, her long fingers curling around, pressing into the back of Clarke's neck as she pulled Clarke in, and their lips crashed together in a desperately heated kiss. Her other hand tangled in a fist of blonde locks, a desirous moan escaping her lips. She tossed a long slender leg over Clarke's body, her needy center coming into contact with Clarke's hip, another moan, louder and more urgent, brought forth as she ground her body against Clarke's.

"Shit." Lexa muttered, pulling back just enough to grab a breath.

Clarke seized the opportunity, her brilliant blue eyes blazing as the scent of Lexa's arousal was already filling the room. In one swift motion she lifted her hips, wrapped an arm around Lexa's waist, and flipped both of them, so that Lexa landed flat on her back. Lexa whimpered at the lose of contact, and Clarke silenced her with a soft growl. Clarke was straddling Lexa's hips, a hand dipping down, cupping Lexa's dripping sex, the heat radiating outwards as Clarke's fingers plied gently between swollen lips. Clarke positioned herself to grind against her own wrist, as first one finger, but quickly a second, pushed gently at Lexa's entrance. Her back arched, her pert breasts rising, the ring of muscle yielding while her center squeezed down on the invading, probing fingers. Clarke began fucking Lexa slow and deep, her hips and fingers moving in sync. She lowered her mouth to Lexa's, pushing her tongue between Lexa's lips.

Lexa's hands grasped at the back of Clarke's head, her hips rising to meet Clarke's fingers at every thrust. Fervent mewling sounds bubbled up from Lexa's throat, as her fingers clenched into fists in Clarke's curls.

Clarke finally broke away from the kiss, drawing a gasp from Lexa as she sucked in a deep breath of much needed oxygen. Lexa's hands were suddenly removed from Clarke's hair, as Clarke took both her wrists in one hand, raised them over her head and pinned them against the pillows. A grin twitched at the corner of Lexa's mouth as she gave Clarke the benefit of a half-hearted struggle, her body arching up, pressing flush against Clarke's. Her lips uttering Clarke's name, letting it drip lustfully off her tongue again and again. Her mantra in Clarke's honor was interrupted only by a deep, low moan, dragged from the depths of her chest as Clarke's teeth dragged over the pulse point of Lexa's throat. The desperate sound in turn elicited a possessive growl to emanate from Clarke's chest.

"Mine." The growl came out. Low and husky.

"Yours." Lexa agreed, tilting her chin up, submitting fully. Clarke's breath hitched in her throat, her tempo increasing, both of their bodies sliding smoothly together, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, glowing in the moonlight that poured into the room through the full wall of glass. Clarke pressed her forehead against Lexa's, her hips rolling heavily, quickly.

"When... when is... y-your heat?" She demanded, in a panting voice. The only stray thought that could even reach Clarke's mind at that point.

"Soon." Lexa whined, feeling Clarke's fingers pressing harder, faster. To be honest she didn't know. She'd lost track since Mount Weather. Hell, at the moment she couldn't even recall what day it was. "Soon." She repeated, as if she was trying to reassure herself. She did know that since her previous heat had been cut off so abruptly, and since Clarke had made herself so... readily available, her next heat would be returning earlier than normal and it would return with vengeance. That thought was all it took to be honest. Her legs wrapped around Clarke's waist, her ankles locking beneath Clarke's backside. Her head swam with thoughts of their mating, Clarke's cock taking her, knotting her, claiming her. In that moment she wanted to be mated with Clarke more than anything. "Oh god, take me." Lexa growled.

Clarke's mouth moved back down to Lexa's throat, she ached to bond with Lexa, settling for the next best thing. She'd make sure the whole damn pack knew Lexa was hers. Her hips thrust hard, her fingers pressed deeper, curling slightly, and her teeth closed over the pulse of Lexa's throat, digging into soft flesh, leaving a long-lasting mark of possession.

Lexa's body bucked hard up against Clarke's, her pussy clamping down on Clarke's fingers, her arms suddenly free, instantly being flung around Clarke's neck, nails digging into Clarke's shoulders. A surge of liquid heat spilling from her core, as Clarke's own climax rocked her simultaneously. She could feel her own come trailing down over the back of her hand, between her fingers, where it mixed with Lexa's and added to the wet, 'schlicking' sounds. The only sound to be heard other than their shared cries, moans, growls and whimpers as they continued fucking each other through their mutual orgasms.

It seemed to last forever. Neither sure if it would ever stop, until finally, with a heavy shudder, Clarke's body finally fell slack, collapsing gently on top of Lexa. The room was silent save for their heavy breathing. Both laid completely still excluding the occasional tremor of a post-orgasmic aftershock. Clarke slipped her fingers gently from Lexa's body, lifting them to her mouth as she let her weight settle to the side, still lying half atop Lexa. On her fingers she could taste both of their similar yet distinct flavors, and as her blue eyes locked on Lexa's green, she put her fingers to Lexa's lips and let Lexa have a taste of their blended juices as well. Lexa suckled Clarke's fingers gently, but thoroughly, making sure to savor every bit she could, running her tongue over, around and between Clarke's fingers, before finally releasing them with sensual grin and a gentle 'pop' of her lips.

They settled then, finally. Clarke nuzzling herself into the crook of Lexa's neck. Every now and again a soft whimper could be heard, but besides that, neither made a sound for a long time, and by the time their breathing had began to return to normal, both had started drifting back off to sleep.

— — —

Anya's slammed on the brakes, letting her car skid to a stop in the gravel driveway. The 'thunk' she heard as Gustus' head came into hard contact with the back of her seat, made her smile. She stepped out from behind the wheel, taking a moment to stretch herself out. She'd made good time from Washington, DC. Making the six hour drive straight through though, with only Gustus for company was boring as hell. He was a shitty conversationalist.

Opening the rear door, Anya unlocked the cuffs, and dragged him out of the car and into the house. It was dark and quiet, or at least it had been. Now the foyer was filled with Gustsus' heavy footfalls, and labored grunts. He didn't struggle too much, but Anya probably yanked and pushed him this way and that, more than she needed to. She guided him roughly down to the basement, where a cell of iron bars was built into the house's foundation. He tensed when he realized Anya's intentions, but she continued pushing him forward.

"This is for your own good." She growled, pushing him into the cell and closing the door behind him. She made sure it was securely locked, and there was nothing that he could reach through the bars.

"What the hell is this?" A voice asked from the steps. Anya turned to see Indra descending, observing the scene in the basement.

"Gustus has some explaining to do." Anya said. "Where's Lexa?"

Indra tilted her head to peer around Anya, her eyes inspecting Gustus as she spoke. "Her and Clarke went for a run earlier this evening." Indra said. "They're probably nuzzled up together somewhere nice and cozy in the woods."

Anya heard the bitter scoff from behind her, and she turned, shooting a hardened glare at her prisoner.

"Looks like you better get comfortable." She told Gustus. She nodded to Indra, indicating that they should go back upstairs. "Come on," she said. "I'll tell you what I found out."

— — —

When Clarke woke again, the sun had still yet to peak over the horizon, the sky instead a deep, heavy violet color. Clarke propped herself up on her elbow, noticing the stunning silhouette of Lexa's body clearly outlined in front of the full-height windows. She allowed herself a moment to let her eyes traverse those long, slender legs, up over the gentle curve of her tight, round ass and up the slope of her smooth, elegant back. As if she could feel Clarke's eyes raking lewdly over her body, and sense the sinful direction of Clarke's thoughts, Lexa turned her head, throwing a gentle smirk over her shoulder, before turning back to whatever she'd been looking at. Clarke felt her chest rising and falling heavily as her fingers itched to roam over that perfect body, and then she was suddenly up and crossing her room. She stepped up close behind Lexa, wrapping her arms around her lover's waist once more. Her new favorite place for her arms. She rested her chin on Lexa's shoulder, taking a peek at what had so thoroughly captured Lexa's attention. It was the painting. Sitting completed, and all but forgotten on Clarke's easel, the one of the landscape view from her window, with the shadowy silhouette of Lexa's profile layered overtop of it.

"It's beautiful." Lexa said, in a soft and fragile sounding voice.

"You're beautiful." Clarke replied, squeezing Lexa gently, placing her lips gently on Lexa's shoulder. Lexa let her head fall back against Clarke's, as Clarke's lips moved up her shoulder to her favorite spot in the crook of Lexa's neck.

Lexa let her eyes flutter shut, her mind refusing to allow this peaceful moment to be intruded upon by the thoughts lurking deep at the back of her consciousness. Thoughts of Azgeda, Mount Weather, the General, Gustus. All things that could wait. Would wait. Lexa turned in Clarke's arm, chewing slightly on her bottom lip as her eyes locked on Clarke's.

Lexa's lips parted silently with words she wanted to say, needed to say, words that tripped over and got caught behind the sudden lump in her throat. Lexa's pale green eyes glistened wetly in the moonlight. Her pupils had engulfed the color nearly in total. Whether that was Lexa's desire, or the low lighting- 'fuck it,' Clarke thought, it didn't matter which it was. Without another thought she leaned in and pressed her lips against Lexa's. Lexa moaned gently into the tenderness of the kiss, her body melding weakly into Clarke's with a subtle shiver.

Clarke pulled away. "I love you." Clarke said, her voice soft, but clear.

"I love you too." Lexa said, coming almost as a gasp of relief, her chest swelling tightly. The warmest smile spread across her features, even as she blinked several times and her wet eyes streamed silently down her cheeks. Clarke smiled at her gently, wiping away the tears, cupping her face tenderly and kissing her again, and then again.

She didn't stop. She held each kiss slightly longer then the last. She pressed each time a little harder, each time putting that much more passion into it. Her body yearned for Lexa in ways she'd never experienced yearning before. She had never desired anyone so much. Not the touch, not the taste, not the long-lasting, loving looks.

"I love you." Clarke breathed again, pushing every possible bit of emotion into those words that she could, but still it didn't seem enough. They stood together as one, pressed together from their thighs to her chests, Clarke's forehead was tilted against Lexa's and their noses nuzzled softly against each other. Lexa's bottom lip trembled, that is until Clarke sucked it into her mouth, nibbling gently with her teeth.

Lexa let a soft whimper, both appreciative yet pleading. Then Clarke was walking her slowly backwards. A sharp gasp of shock broke free from her lips as Lexa's back was pressed against the cold, hard glass window. Her gaze fixed on Clarke's, Clarke's blue eyes hooded, and as dark as a stormy ocean, yet they caught the moonlight and blazed with lust. Clarke's hands firmly gripped Lexa's hips, and she spun Lexa around. Lexa looked out over the woods, still mostly deep in shadow, the treetop swaying gently in a silent breeze, glinting silver beneath the stars. The cold glass made her nipples crinkle and tighten immediately, and was a stark contrast to the hot flesh of Clarke's body as she pressed against her back. Lexa's breathing hitched at the sensation of Clarke's own erect nipples scraping gently over her back. Clarke's fingers trailing teasingly up and down her ribs, over the sensitive sides and bottoms of her breasts. Lexa moaned, pushing her ass back, grinding into Clarke's hips, her breath expelled from between her lips, fogging the glass, chilled by the cool night air.

This experience was something new, and exciting, and different, and Clarke's heartbeat was pounding in her chest, the sound of blood pumping, rushing in her ears. Her one hand slipped around Lexa's waist, dipping down between her legs, cupping her heated center. The other traveled slowly upwards, neatly-trimmed nails raking up Lexa's back and neck, before entangling in Lexa's hair. She ground her hips forward against Lexa's firm ass, pressing her lips to Lexa's back, letting her teeth graze over the soft smooth flesh.

Lexa whimpered, her body trembling, as Clarke ground herself against Lexa's backside, she pushed Lexa forward into the firm grip of her hand. Slowly Clarke's hips took up a rhythm of a gentle rolling motion, her hand moving in slow circles. Lexa's hot breath coming in quick pants, as her hands pressed flat against the glass. Her fingers curled, trying in vain to grip the smooth, hard surface as she whined and keeled, and her hips ground back and forth between Clarke's hips and her hand.

Clarke released Lexa's hair, she placed her hand overtop of Lexa's, interlacing their fingers. Lexa's hand curled into a fist, with Clarke's fingers tightly locked in place.

"Shit Clarrrke!" She moaned.

"Yes Lexa." She said. "That's it babe."

"I-I need..." Lexa's couldn't think straight, her need overwhelming her ability to speak clearly.

Clarke knew what she needed though. It took a surprising amount of effort for Clarke to free her fingers from Lexa's grip, but when she finally managed she smiled at the way Lexa's fist desperately pounded the glass. Clarke slipped her hand down between Lexa's legs from behind. The work her other hand had been doing, already had Lexa to the point of dripping, her liquid heat, slick between Clarke's fingers. Clarke's second hand passed teasingly over Lexa's perineum, the soft pads of a single finger teasing the quivering ring of muscle at Lexa's entrance. Lexa felt the subtle pressure, arching her hips, pressing downward, but Clarke teasingly pulled away.

"Pleeeease." Lexa begged.

"Please what?" Clarke whispered

"Fuck me Clarke!" Lexa growled, she braced herself with both hands flat on the glass once more, pushing herself back against Clarke firmly. "God, please fuck me Clarke! I need it. I need you! Gaahhh!" Lexa cried out as Clarke's finger slid easily into her hot tunnel, met by a gush of fluid, drops sliding down Clarke's wrist. Lexa drove her hips downward, tossing her head back, leaning on Clarke's shoulder. Clarke roughly pushed her against the glass, inserting a second finger, obliging her lover in every sense of the word.

Lexa's slick sweaty body, slid against the glass as she plunged up and down on Clarke's fingers, Clarke's other hand now moving quickly back and forth over her aching, hard clit. She wouldn't be able to last long like this. She cried out with every thrust. Every time she impaled herself on Clarke's fingers. Every time she felt Clarke's hand push against her red, swollen lips as she buried herself to the third knuckle.

"Claaarrrkke!" She howled. He pussy clenched hard on Clarke's fingers, her body shivered as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, threatening to drown her as her head swam on the border of unconsciousness. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut, fireworks exploding behind her eyelids, her toes curling in the carpet.

Clarke felt the come spilling between her fingers, running down her forearm, and she couldn't resist. She sank to her knees, turning Lexa around, and holding her up against the glass with a firm grip. Clarke lifted one of Lexa's legs, draping it over her shoulder, and planted her mouth on Lexa's quivering lips.

Lexa sucked in a sharp breath as a second orgasm followed directly on the heels of the last. Her third of the night, er... morning? She was having a hard time breathing. Her hips jerked violently. Her legs felt like jello, and she was sure that if it wasn't for Clarke holding her up, she would have already collapsed. Clarke ate out out every drop of Lexa's come, from both of her orgasms, allowing Lexa to slowly slide down to the floor, her back still pressed against the glass, once she was done.

"I love you." Lexa murmured. Her entire body was flushed, glistening with sweat, her hair matted to her head.

"I love you more." Clarke whispered, climbing into Lexa's lap, straddling her thighs, and laying her head on Lexa's shoulder. She buried her nose in the crook of Lexa's neck, inhaling the scent that was deeply and uniquely her.

— — —

The next time Clarke woke, it was to the streaming sunlight flooding her room. She was sprawled out on the plush soft carpet, with Lexa half on top, and half curled around her, a stray arm and legs wrapped over her naked body. She let out a deep breath, feeling both exhausted but completely sated at the same time.

Lexa stirred, placing a series of light kisses along Clarke's jawline.

"Good morning." Lexa said, her lips curling into a smile against Clarke's skin, as she remembered that she had already said that once that morning.

"I'll fucking say." Clarke said, smiling as well. "Best morning I've had... ever."

"But I didn't get to make you come yet." Lexa said, her voice still a bit thick with sleep. Clarke's ears colored a pretty shade of pink.

"But you did." She said. Lexa looked at her, slightly puzzled. Clarke paused, feeling embarrassed for some reason. "Watching you come is sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen." She said. "Feeling you come beneath my fingers and mouth, it was almost enough to get my off all by itself. It didn't take much."

Lexa smiled, placing a gentle kiss on Clarke's lips. "Well, whenever your ready, I think I still owe you a couple orgasms."

Clarke returned her smile, but shook her head. "Let's not keep score." Lexa smiled and kissed her girlfriend again, deeper this time, her tongue slipping between Clarke's lips briefly. The feeling of contentment that Lexa felt in that moment was like none other she'd felt in her life. That's why the feeling of Clarke stirring and gently pushing her away was so disquieting.

"Sorry." Clarke said, smiling gently. "I gotta pee."

Lexa chuckled and rose to her knees, letting Clarke up. While Clarke used the bathroom, Lexa let her gaze drift around the room, taking in the mess they'd made the night before. There were a number of small rips and tears in the sheets and blankets, and muddy paw prints, all over the bed and carpet. Lexa heard the toilet flush, and the sink running, she turned when she heard the bathroom door open. Clarke came out, running her fingers through her hair, shaking out her wild blonde mane.

Lexa hummed, when she saw her. "You look so sexy like that." Clarke smiled, stalking up to Lexa, her blue eyes shining bright. She draped her arms over Lexa's neck and leaned in and they kissed and it felt so right. Everything Clarke did with Lexa felt so right. They were both quiet for a long time before Lexa finally spoke.

"A lot of werewolves..." Lexa said, "believe in soul mates." Her voice was soft and careful. "I never really believed in that, especially not after I lost Costia. I never thought I'd find anyone that made me feel the way I did with her... and I was partially right, because I don't feel the same way with you as I did with her, but I was wrong too, because when I'm with you I feel like soul mates do exist, and I'm afraid your mine."

"Why does that make you afraid?" Clarke asked. Her words barely making it out as she felt her throat tighten with emotion.

"Because I'm not sure I'm yours." Lexa said. Clarke suddenly pulled her in tight, their lips crashing together fiercely. She pulled away, kissing down along Lexa's neck, biting hard on the fresh bruise on Lexa's neck, as if reminding her of what's what. Lexa gasped in shock at Clarke's sudden aggressiveness.

"You are mine." Clarke growled, perhaps a little too harshly, pulling away, her eyes hard and dark. "And I'm yours." She said. "I can't wait for your heat..." She added, but abruptly paused as the realization of what she wanted fully hit her. Realizing the enormous weight of what she wanted. She wanted to marry Lexa basically, at least in werewolf terms, but was she ready for that? She swallowed the lump that had formed suddenly in her throat. "I love you." She said finally, shaking her head. Her eyes large and wet.

"I love you too." Lexa replied, giving Clarke another kiss.

They remained there in each other's arms for several long minutes, a torrent of thoughts tumbling through Clarke's head, before she finally pulled away, offering to get them both something to drink from the kitchen. Lexa nodded and released her, watching as Clarke slipped into a snug pair of briefs, and a tank top. Clarke smiled over her shoulder, as she caught Lexa licking her lips, staring after her as she left the room.

Clarke hurried down the stairs, coming around the corner into the kitchen, nearly tripping over her feet as she came to an abrupt stop.

"Good morning, dear." Abby said. Clarke flushed instantly. 'Dammit.' She thought. How had she not even thought about her mom being home?

"Uh, hi mom." Clarke said, before padding around the counter to the fridge. She could feel her mom's eyes on her and the awkward silence built up the tension like a physical weight upon her chest. All she could think about though was how much she reeked of sweat and sex. She went to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of water, and turned, her mother was still looking at her.

Abby's gaze flicked down to the bottles of water, then back up to her daughter's face. Clarke looked down realizing there was no other explanation for why she would need two bottles of water, not that she figured she'd be explaining her way out of this one anyways. She shifted her weight nervously on her feet, chewing her bottom lip.

"So, uh... Lexa spent the night." Clarke said, physically wincing as the words came out. 'Stupid.' She scolded herself.

Abby tried to keep her face hard and stern, but she couldn't prevent the twitch at the corner of her mouth. "You don't say?" She replied dryly.

"I'm really sorry." Clarke said. "We didn't plan on falling a sleep yesterday when we got here, it just happened. It won't happen again."

"Yes it will." Abby said, smiling knowingly. She seemed surprisingly calm, which kind of worried Clarke. Abby shook her head finally, letting out a sigh. "Just try and keep the noise down next time, okay?" Clarke blushed hard.

"I-uh.. yeah, okay."

Abby grinned, getting some measure of satisfaction out of her daughter's discomfort. She walked around the counter, and gave her daughter a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, before turning away.

"I need to get you work." She said, heading towards the door.

"Okay." Clarke choked out, her cheeks still pink.

"Oh, and Clarke." Abby added. "You should definitely take a shower if your going out anywhere." Clarke blushed hard again, but her mom was out the door before she could reply.

Clarke rushed up to her room, shutting the door behind her. 'Thank god that's over.' She thought, seriously concerned that she was about to die from embarrassment. She turned to see Lexa sitting at the foot of the bed, her own ears also tinged a slight red color.

"I take it you heard all that?" Clarke said.

Lexa nodded, smiling shyly. Clarke shook her head, about to say something, when suddenly they both perked up at a sound.

A howl traveled over the hills and treetops, carrying a message that they understood almost entirely on an instinctual level. Clarke looked quickly to Lexa, who gave her only the slightest nod, and an instant later, they had both started to shift.

Abby sat in her car, the engine was running and she was waiting for the heater to get up to the desired temperature. It was the first day of the year that she had needed to use it, a sure sign that fall was well on its way. Just as she was beginning to back her car up, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She watched in amazement as the two huge wolves, Lexa and her daughter, leapt from the second floor balcony and took off through the woods. She smiled in amazement as they disappeared almost as soon as they were in the trees.

— — —

Octavia woke up with the sun, as usual for her nowadays, slightly disoriented as she realized she wasn't in her own bed. She stared up at the ceiling from the flat of her back, as memories of the night before came flooding back to her, and she looked over to see Raven, her best friend in the world, sleeping soundly with a content smile on her face. Raven was asleep on her stomach, the covers had slipped about halfway down her back, showing sides of her breasts as her arms were folded beneath her pillow. Octavia chewed slightly on her bottom lip, reached over and tucked a strand of stray dark hair, behind Raven's ear.

Raven stirred, humming softly in her sleep, her lips twitching before she settled again. Octavia knew that Raven wasn't a morning person, was never fully awake until she had her caffeine, so she slipped as quietly as she could from the bed, and padded silently to the kitchen to start the coffee. She gathered all the clothes that was strewn around the coffee table, putting her shorts and t-shirt back on as the coffee brewed, and gathered the empty bottles from the night before, carrying them to the trash. She poured some coffee into Raven's favorite mug, knowing that she took it black, and carried it carefully back to the bedroom. She thought it was kind of weird how natural it felt to be there, waking up there with Raven, but she liked it too. She gently lowered herself onto Raven's side up the bed, holding the mug out, passing it slowly back and forth in front of Raven's face.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Octavia said. Raven stirred, the smell of the coffee enticing her to actually open her eyes. She rolled onto her back, looking up to find Octavia sitting there. She was surprised, but in a pleasant way. Octavia smiled at her cheekily, her eyes sparkling brightly as she raised the mug to her lips and took a sip. The face she made caused Raven to laugh out loud, as it was half a wince, from the scalding hot beverage on her lips, and half a grimace at the bitter taste.

"Ugh, yuck." Octavia said. "I don't know how you drink that shit."

Raven just laughed harder. "You dummy, you know you don't like coffee."

Octavia shrugged, removing her fingers from where she burned her lip. "Well, until last night I didn't think I liked pussy either, so I thought I'd give it another try." She reasoned. Raven laughed even harder at that, sitting up and taking the mug from Octavia, placing it on the nightstand. The blanket fell away, and her firm breasts and dark nipples were fully exposed to O's view, but her attention was quickly recaptured, as Raven's fingers clutched the back of her head, and pulled her in for a kiss. Octavia's burned lips were still tender, but she didn't care, and they didn't bother to separate until they were both short of breath.

Raven picked up her mug, taking a sip for herself. She closed her eyes humming appreciatively. "That's perfect." She said, her eyes opening, a surprised look on her face as she looked at Octavia. Octavia shrugged with a sly smile.

"Yeah, I know you pretty well by now, I guess." She leaned in and gave Raven another kiss. "And after last night, I hope we can keep getting to know each other a whole lot better." Raven's lips curled into a smile as they pressed once again against her best friend's. This, and the night before, it was something she had only ever dreamed about. Something she used to fuel her fantasies in the middle of the night when she was safely all alone in the dark. Now her best friend was in her arms. In her bed. Had been inside her.

"Holy shit." Raven pulled away with a gasp, the realization sinking in.

Octavia looked into her eyes, a hint of worry showing in her own. "What is it?"

Raven's lips curled into a wicked smile. "I'm gonna fuck you so good." She said. Octavia's mouth split into a full grin, and just as they both went in for another kiss, Raven's alarm went off on her bedside table.

Raven groaned, pulling away, suddenly reminded of work and responsibilities, and everything she had to do that day. She apologized to Octavia.

"You know if I could, I'd just spend the day in bed with you right?"

Octavia smiled. "Of course you would. I'm fucking amazing in bed." Raven slapped her lightly on the arm.

"Get up, you bitch. I need a shower."

Octavia gave her an exaggerated offended look.

"Oh please, I was just referring to your personality, not the fact that you actually physically transform into a bitch." Raven said.

"Gee, like that makes it better somehow?" Octavia said sarcastically. She went around to the other side of the bed though, and handed Raven her crutches.

"You can join me if want? I'll make it up to you." Raven smiled. Octavia was a breath away from agreeing when she caught the sound. It was distant, and muffled by the walls, and barely reached her ears over the background noises of the town, but somehow it managed to cut through and register in her brain. The howl.

"O?" Raven asked. "What is it?"

"Did you hear that?" Octavia asked.

"Hear what?" Raven replied.

"The howl." Octavia said.

"The howl? You mean an actual howl? Seriously?" Raven asked. Octavia nodded.

"Yeah, it's serious. It's Indra, I'm sorry, I have to go." Octavia said. "Werewolf stuff."

"No, yeah, it's fine." Raven replied. "You... you go do you." She said. Octavia nodded, she turned towards the bedroom door, then quickly turned back to Raven, giving her a last quick, but heated kiss on the lips, and then turned back to the door.

She rushed out, shouting, "I'll call you," over her shoulder as she left.

Raven was left standing there bemused, smiling as she watched her friend leave. Her friend, er... girlfriend? ...she wasn't sure. Her werewolf? She chuckled to herself, shaking her head as she crossed her room to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Octavia rushed back into her brother's apartment. Luckily he was still apparently asleep. She stripped down, took a quick shower, and then went back to her room to get dressed. She put on a pair of black jeans and a white spaghetti-string top. She was fully dressed, brushing her hair out when she noticed the set of slightly pink bite marks on her shoulder. She thought about changing her top to cover them up, but shrugged it off. 'Fuck it.' She thought. She was in a hurry. With that she headed out the door.

— — —

Clarke and Lexa ran straight to Forrest Glenn, side by side the entire way. They shifted back into human form on the back porch, and entered the house, finding their clothes from the day before, washed, dried and folded on a small bench, just inside the back door. Indra timed her entrance perfectly, coming into the room, just as they finished getting dressed.

"Indra, what is it?" Lexa asked, ignoring the way the dark-skinned woman crinkled her nose at them.

"Anya picked up Gustus last night." Indra said. "He's downstairs." She looked from Lexa to Clarke, as if she wasn't sure she wanted Clarke to see what was downstairs, but Lexa ignored that too. She gave Indra a curt nod. Indra turned and led them to the stairs. Clarke followed.

Clarke couldn't lie, she was more than a little surprised to find out that the Lexa had a prison cell in her basement, but what was more unnerving was the man locked inside it. She'd met Gustus once before, the first time she came to Forrest Glenn. If she thought that he hadn't liked her then, than he was positively fuming right now. His hard eyes glared at her with pure hatred, but all that did was cause the hair to rise on the back of her neck. She felt Lexa's warm, soft touch on her shoulder, and realized that she had started growling, low and ominous in her throat. She straightened at the touch, looking to Lexa, who gave her a gentle reassuring smile, which helped Clarke calm herself.

Clarke listened as Indra explained to Lexa and Clarke what Anya had told her. Then Lexa turned her hard eyes on Gustus. She approached the cage, unconcerned that she was within the large man's reach.

"Start from the beginning." She said. He sneered at her, casting another distasteful look in Clarke's direction.

"I've been keeping tabs on Mount Weather for months now. Ever since that stray attacked her and killed her father." He nodded at Clarke. "The man's name was Emerson. He worked for General Pike, who sent him to The Mountain to be the General's eyes and ears, and keep a watch on Dante and Cage Wallace. When the experiments first started, Dante was purely interested in the healing and medical impacts that werewolf genes could have. Cage though was more ambitious, once he realized a General from the DOD was interested, he thought he could cash in. That was when he somehow turned his father Dante and Emerson, I'm not sure of the details exactly, but Emerson escaped." Gustus paused looking once again at Clarke his eyes less angry his time though, more annoyed than anything, as if this was all somehow her fault. She tried to ignore him.

"Keep going." She said. Gustus sneered at her, but at the glare he received from Lexa, he continued.

"After the attack on Clarke and her father, Emerson fled north, he met Nia. Cage covered up his escape, informing the General that Emerson had died in a lab accident. Since the destruction of Mount Weather I saw my opportunity and stepped in. I met with the General, I offered him a deal, telling him that I could provide him with vials of what they were using in Mount Weather, so long as they didn't pursue trying to discover the source."

"And?" Lexa said.

"I'm waiting on the General to call me." Gustus said, the edge back in his voice. Clarke tensed hearing him use that tone with Lexa. "My phone is back at my apartment though."

"Doesn't matter." A voice said from behind them. Anya placed her laptop on the table in the middle of the room, holding up a burner phone in her other hand. "I can clone the signal using a program on my computer and get any calls rerouted to this phone." Anya explained. "If the General calls, we'll know it."

Lexa gave her a nod. "We'll hold him until the General calls." She said simply. "Do you have any other useful information?" She asked Gustus. He was silent though, a sour look on his face. She gave a single nod, and turned and headed upstairs, Clarke followed, as did Indra, with Anya staying behind to finish setting up her equipment.

"One thing bothers me." Clarke said, as they entered Lexa's large office. Indra scoffed lightly and got another glare from Lexa. Clarke just ignored her, and made sure to get Lexa's attention again. Clarke was prepared for any resistance that would come as she became Alpha, it would just take time to prove that she could lead them. It shouldn't take much, with Lexa at her side.

"What's that?" Lexa said finally.

"What's Nia's involvement?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Indra, listening more intently now.

"Well, she's obviously using Emerson for something." Clarke said. "I still don't think that it was a coincidence that she was here the same day that you guys were abducted and taken to the Mountain."

"You think she was somehow involved in what was going on in the Mountain as well?" Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded. "Think about it. Mount Weather is in Azgeda territory. Dante and Cage had their lab in place before Gustus, or Emerson, or the General were even involved. How else would they have found out about werewolves in the first place? Nia being involved somehow is the only thing that makes sense."

"But what would Nia have to gain from working with humans?" Indra asked. "Even Nia wouldn't be so foolish."

"I'm telling you." Clarke said, shaking her head. "We're missing something."

Just then they heard the front door swing open, and hurried footsteps came into the office.

"Sorry, I'm late." Octavia said in a huff, her forehead beaded with sweat. "What'd I miss?"

Clarke updated Octavia on everything, and asked if there was anything Octavia could remember from her time in Mount Weather.

Octavia shook her head. "No, but I was honestly unconscious for a lot of it." Octavia said. "Cage talked to Lincoln a lot though."

Lexa nodded. "We'll ask Lincoln when he gets home from work. See what he remembers."

"We should also see if Anya can get a lead on what Emerson has been up to since he's teamed up with Nia." Said Indra. "I think Clarke may be right." She added. Lexa nodded again, and went back downstairs to tell Anya the plan. Indra gave Clarke a slight nod, which Clarke returned gratefully, before Indra turned and left, leaving Clarke and Octavia in her office.

"You smell like sex." Octavia said flatly, once they were alone.

Clarke rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me." She said. "I came down from my room this morning, and my mom was sitting in the kitchen. God, I thought I was gonna die."

"Wait." Octavia said, wearing a suddenly huge smile. "You slept with Lexa in your room? While your mom was home?"

"Yeah." Clarke shrugged. "Chalk it up to a... momentary lapse in judgment." She said. Octavia couldn't stop laughing and Clarke gave her a sour look. "What about you?" She asked.

Octavia suddenly straightened up, trying to act impassive. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Clarke pointed and said, "Well I highly doubt you bit your own shoulder."

Octavia blushed, but was trying too hard to cover it up. Something about her reaction told Clarke that it wasn't just a random hookup or a casual one night stand. Clarke's curiosity peaked. Octavia hadn't been hanging out with anyone except for the pack lately, hell, the only other person Octavia ever even talked to was...

"Oh my god." Clarke said her eyes big. Octavia's eyes grew big as well, immediately knowing that Clarke knew.

"Shhh." Octavia said, hoping no one else would come in. She didn't know why she felt so embarrassed. Probably just because her and Clarke and Raven had all been friends with each other for so long.

"You and Raven?" Clarke asked. Octavia chewed her bottom lip, nodding silently. She wasn't entirely sure she believed it herself. She couldn't help it. She felt her lips curl into a smile, even as she thought about it. She braced herself, half expecting Clarke to start yelling at her or something, when suddenly Clarke's arms wrapped her up in a big hug. "Oh my god," she repeated. "It's about damn time." She said. "Raven's been crushing on you so hard for so long." Clarke shook her head. "How? When?" Clarke asked, suddenly nothing more than a curious good friend.

"Last night." Octavia said. "It was just, like... well, I got in a fight with Bellamy again, and went across the hall to spend some time at Raven's place... I don't what happened, it was just... it just felt right." Octavia looked at Clarke a slightly worried expression on her face. A look that Clarke seemed to be able to understand.

"I'm happy for you." Clarke said. "I know it'll work out."

Octavia nodded. "Yeah, thanks." She said. "It's okay right?" Octavia asked after a long pause. "I mean 'cause she's human, and we're not, I just don't want it to be trouble for her."

Clarke shook her head. "I think it'll be fine." She said. "She already knows about us at least. I think she can be trusted."

Octavia nodded, and they left Lexa's office as they heard Lexa coming back up the stairs.

— — —

Roan stood behind a column, concealed deep in the shadows. The wind whipped through the open parking deck, and he made sure to stand downwind so that Emerson wouldn't detect him. The man in question, Roan's target, sat in the driver's seat behind the wheel, his black suv idling dubiously.

He had yet to decide whether or not he was going to go along with his mother's plan, but before making any decisions, he figured he'd gather as much intel as he could, about everyone involved. Roan had been tailing Emerson, since Emerson had returned to his mother's house. He waited patiently in his concealed position. He was a hunter. Waiting was something he was very good at. It had been twenty minutes already, and it would be another twenty before the other car pulled up. It was a black Ford sedan with government issue plates. The driver of the car cut the engine and got out, he had dark skin and a bald head, and was wearing a suit and tie. He walked around to the passenger side of the suv and got in. Roan knew already from his previous reconnaissance that the g-man was General Pike. He knew Emerson had lured the General here for a meeting with files that Emerson didn't have. And he knew that the General probably wasn't leaving this meeting alive. Roan strained his ears to listen.

"Emerson. It's good to see you." The man said.

"Yeah, you too, General." Emerson replied. "So tell me, is it true? Did no one else survive from Mount Weather?" Emerson asked, his prying for information masked with false concern.

"According to the body count, it would appear so." Pike said. "There was one man that came forward though." Emerson couldn't help but show his surprise. Who else would there be if everyone in the lab had died? "A man named Gustus. Do you know him?"

Emerson shook his head. "No." He lied. He didn't know Gustus, but knew of him and knew that he was a part of Trikru pack. If they were involved, Emerson had to report that to Nia. It also meant that he couldn't kill Pike yet as planned, because he needed to know what Gustus had told him.

"What did this man say?" Emerson asked.

"He came to my office, showed me some vials, said they were from Mount Weather, but hell, they could have just been sugar-water for all I know." Pike said.

"Do you have the vials?" Emerson asked, trying not to sound too eager. If he could get his hands on those, and they really were from Mount Weather, then maybe Nia's plan might still be able to be brought to fruition.

Pike shook his head though. "No. He offered me a deal for them, but I told him I'd think about. I mean I don't even know who this guy is, right. I run his history and find out he's an anthropology professor. What the hell is a guy like that doing with classified materials from a top secret research facility? And how did he get them?"

"Couldn't you have just arrested him for that, and taken the vials?" Emerson asked.

"No. Not in the middle of my office." Pike said. "No one else in the DOD even knows about Mount Weather, I'm gonna do my best to keep it that way." That was excellent news for Emerson. Nia would be pleased about that.

"So, what is it that he wanted? What kind of deal did he try to make?" Emerson asked.

"He told he would hand over the vials, and I could reverse engineer and duplicate them as much as I wanted, as long as I didn't investigate or research the origin of the compounds. I mean, does that even make sense?" Pike asked.

Emerson just shrugged. 'Yes.' Emerson thought. In a naive and simplistic kind of way. Realistically though, Gustus was a fool if he thought the government would let that go, especially seeing as how they already knew that the compound worked to create their super-soldiers.

"So you told him that you'd 'think about it?' And he bought that?" Emerson asked.

Pike just shrugged, a humorless smile teasing his lips. "I'll string him along while I bury any evidence that Mount Weather ever existed, then take the vials from him and bury him too."

Emerson laughed, also without humor. "I hope you have no plans on burying me when you're through?"

"Of course not." Pike replied. "You're a good soldier. Loyal. I need people like you. I need more men I can trust."

"Thank you, Sir." Emerson replied. "I have to confess though, I didn't bring the files I have with me today, Sir." 'Because I was planning on killing you and dumping your body in the river.' "I'm sorry, I was just being cautious."

"I understand." Pike replied, expertly concealing his dissatisfaction. His change in mood though souring the air in the car. Emerson tried to hide his reaction to the bitter scent of disappointment.

"You can swing by my apartment though and pick them up. There might even be something in them to help authenticate those vials." Said Emerson.

Pike looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmn, maybe." He said. "I'll need to get them though first, wouldn't I?"

"Probably, Sir." Emerson replied, with an agreeable nod of his head.

Pike nodded. "I'll make a call, get the vials from Gustus, and let you know when we can meet at your place."

"Yessir." Emerson nodded.

The two men shook hands and Pike returned to his own car. They drove off, staggering their departure by a few minutes with Emerson leaving first. Roan waited, listening, until Pike's car had left the garage before he moved from his hiding place. 'Hmm, well that was interesting.' Roan thought. He took his time walking down the ramps instead of taking the stairs. He had parked on one of the lower levels that was well occupied so that his car wouldn't stick out on the empty upper deck where Emerson had his little covert meet. He opened the heavy door of his beat up old Bronco. It was silver and blue, with rust beginning to eat away at the bottom edges of the frame. It had hand-crank windows and the heater didn't work, but got him from A to B. Thinking about his next move as he turned his key in the ignition, he decided, 'I guess it's time I paid Trikru a visit.'

— — —

There was a nervous kind of energy in the air. Everyone was trying to imagine what kind of backlash may arise from Gustus' actions, but there was nothing anyone could really do until the General called in regards to the deal Gustus had tried to make.

Clarke and Octavia were at the kitchen table. Indra was upstairs doing something, and Lexa couldn't sit still. She kept going from the kitchen, downstairs to check on Anya and Gustus, coming back upstairs and going into her office, then she'd return to the kitchen, sit down, stand up, get a glass of water. Finally, after about the third time Clarke heard Lexa coming back up the stairs, she couldn't stand it anymore.

"I'll be right back." Clarke said, standing from the table. Octavia nodded and Clarke followed Lexa into her office.

"Hey Lex." Clarke said softly, as she reached her girlfriend, her hand gently running up Lexa's back. The tension visibly left Lexa's shoulders as she relaxed into the touch.

"I'm sorry." Lexa said, already having sensed Clarke's concern.

"It's alright, babe." Said Clarke.

"I know everyone's on edge already, and I'm not helping am I?" Lexa said.

"Everything's gonna be fine." Clarke said.

"You realize the entire survival of werewolves as a species, may hang in the balance, right?" Lexa asked.

Clarke shrugged. "It'll be fine." She repeated, giving Lexa a small smile, her hand still rubbing Lexa's back calmly.

"How can you be so sure?" Said Lexa, with an amused half-smile.

"It has to be." Clarke said simply.

Lexa turned, facing Clarke, her hands resting on Clarke's hips. She tilted her head, pressing her forehead to Clarke's. Their noses brushed together gently. Clarke's hands reached up, cradling Lexa's face, as she whispered calming things under her breath. Their breathing fell into sync, and Lexa let her eyes close, feeling herself relax even more.

"Everything's going to be fine." Clarke breathed. "I'm with you. We're all here with you, okay?"

She felt Lexa nod against her. Clarke lifted her lips, kissing the tip of Lexa's nose. She pulled back a bit, their eyes met; blue and green, large and bright. Lexa let out a calming breath.

There was the sound of tires crunching on gravel, the rumble of an engine. They were expecting Lincoln to arrive home soon, but that wasn't the sound of Lincoln's Xterra. Clarke and Lexa separated.

"Who is it?" Clarke asked at the worried expression that crossed Lexa's face. She moved her way gently around Clarke without answering, heading slowly in the direction of the front door.

Clarke followed closely behind her, with Indra and Anya meeting them at the door as well. With the four of them standing in the open doorway, the beat up old Bronco pulled up in front of the house. A low growl emanated from Lexa's throat, and Clarke felt the wave of defensive aggression sweep through each member of the pack.

"Roan." Lexa growled under her breath.

The truck pulled to a smooth stop, and the engine shut off. The driver's side door opened, and a large man, with long hair climbed slowly out from behind the wheel. Both his hands were raised into the air.

"Easy." He said. He didn't approach more than a few steps. "Just take it easy."

A snarl snuck past Lexa's bared teeth. "Why are you here?"

"I just came to talk." Roan said. "Look, I'm not part of Nia's agenda, and I have information you might want."

"You expect us to believe that you've just turned your back on your own mother?" Asked Lexa.

Roan shrugged his shoulders. "She turned her back on me first."

Lexa's dark gaze was silent for several tense moments. "So what kind of information do you have?" Lexa asked.

"We gonna have this conversation out here, or are you gonna invite me in?" Roan asked. Not one member of Lexa's pack moved. "Well, can I at least put my hands down?"

No response. He dropped his hands anyway, letting out a sigh, but made sure to keep them in view. Lexa simply looked on, waiting for him to answer her question.

"Look, I know Gustus has been in contact with a General Pike from the DOD. I know Gustus has vials of... something from Mount Weather. I know Gustus is trying to make a deal with the General. And I know the General will probably kill Gustus when he gets what he wants."

"We know all that already." Lexa said. "You're wasting your time."

"I also know that a man named Emerson, who is currently working with my mother, is also in contact with the General, and after the General double-crosses Gustus, Emerson will most likely double-cross the General, and take the vials back to my mother."

Lexa felt Clarke tense beside her the mention of the man named Emerson. One finger brushed subtly, but in reassuring comfort, over the back of Clarke's hand. "What would your mother want with the vials from Mount Weather?" Lexa asked.

"I don't know." Roan said. "That's why I'm here. I think Gustus might be able to fill in some gaps. All I'm looking for is an exchange of information. I already gave you all I have, so, what do you say?"

Lexa turned her gaze to Clarke briefly, remembering her promise, then back to Roan. "Where is Emerson now?" She asked. Roan was silent, thoughtful. He wondered why she'd be asking about Emerson. "Tell me how I can find him, and I'll let you speak with with Gustus." Lexa stated.

"Commander, you can't trust-" Indra started, but Lexa quickly raised her hand to silence the beta.

"What could you want with Emerson?" Roan asked.

Lexa's eyes looked hard, unwavering and locked on Roan's. "He broke the laws of the coalition, he attacked humans, and he will be punished."

"You're talking about those campers he attacked aren't you?" Roan replied thoughtfully. That was another piece of information that Roan had dug up on Emerson, Roan had gone back home and met with his mother. Another piece of information he'd stored away in his head, just because it was another thing that his mother had tried to keep him from finding out. "Why would you be so worried about that?" He asked.

Again, Lexa felt Clarke go tense at her side, but Lexa still didn't think Roan had noticed. "Will you tell us or not?" Asked Lexa.

"Emerson had been holed up in a rathole apartment, in North Philly. He's been staying closer to the DC area to have his meetings with the General. I don't know if he's still there though." He gave them the address just in case.

Lexa looked from Clarke, standing on her right, to Indra standing on her left. Anya was still behind her. She looked back to Roan and gave him a nod, and the four of them led him down to the basement, where they were holding Gustus.

Roan smiled when he saw Gustus locked in a cage. "You guys don't mess around, huh?" He said, but all he got in return were more hard glares. If he was bothered by being surrounded by people who thought of him as the enemy, he certainly didn't show it. Even when Gustus stood with a loud growl, grabbing the bars of his cage and shaking them violently, Roan's face remained entirely impassive.

"Sit down and shut up!" Lexa commanded. The tension of the situation was getting to her. She wanted Roan out of her house, and out of her territory. She wanted Gustus and the General and Emerson taken care of. The sooner things went back to normal, the better.

Gustus stilled, but remained standing, an ugly snarl on his face, directed at Roan. Roan looked to Lexa, but Lexa just held out her hand in Gustus' direction.

"By all means." She said.

Roan scoffed, stepping forward. He doubted that the big man in the cage would answer any of his questions willingly.

"I want to know what you showed the General. Specifically, what was inside the vials?" Roan asked.

"You will answer him." Lexa said after several beats of silence. Her voice low and cold.

Gustus let out a breath. He explained how the case he had taken from Mount Weather contained the three unmarked vials. One of the cure, one to turn men into werewolves, and one to turn men into hybrid soldiers. He explained the terms of the deal he made with the General also. Even though Roan already knew those particulars.

"That's what Nia wants." Roan said when Gustus was finished. "The General wants the serum to create his super-soldiers, Nia though wants the serum to create werewolves."

Lexa looked at him, puzzled. "Why would she want something like that?" She asked.

Roan looked at Lexa, amused. "Think about it, Nia, with the ability to turn new wolves by the dozens..." He said. He didn't even have to finish the thought. It was terrifying.

"Where are the vials?" Lexa asked, turning to Gustus. He shrugged.

"My apartment." He said.

"Shit." Anya muttered. Just then the phone rang, the burner phone that was hooked up to Anya's computer. It was the General calling about the deal. In an instant Lexa was across the room. She opened the cell door, grabbed Gustus by his collar and practically dragged him over to the table.

"Answer it." She growled. Gustus nodded. Anya handed Lexa a pair of headphones, so that she could listen in without the General detecting anyone else on the line.

"This is Gustus." He said.

"Mr. Gustus, I wanted to let you know that I've considered your offer, and I'm willing to accept your terms. Meet me tomorrow, you can bring the vials to the Tidal Basin, meet me in front of the Jefferson Memorial."

Gustus exchanged a look with Lexa. Lexa gave him a subtle nod, and Gustus agreed with the General on a time to meet and then the General hung up. Gustus did as well.

Lexa repeated the General's plan for everyone else. Anya laughed. "Seriously? That's like most cliche-DC-espionage-meeting arrangement I've ever heard."

"You don't really think the General would take him out in front of the Jefferson Memorial do you?" Indra asked.

"No, but the General would probably have Emerson sabotage Gustus' car while he's at the meet. Gustus dies in a car accident on the way home, the General has the vials, then when the General meets up with Emerson later, Emerson kills the General and takes the vials to Nia..." All heads turned in Roan's direction. Roan shrugged. "At least that's how I'd do it."

"Anya and Indra, you take Gustus back to his apartment. Find the vials and meet the General tomorrow." Lexa said.

"Anyway we can follow the General in his car?" Indra asked.

"Maybe." Anya replied. "But if he's working at he Pentagon in the morning, he'll probably just walk to the meet. It's literally right across the Potomac."

"He'd have a car parked somewhere close by though." Said Roan. "I know for a fact that the General believes that Emerson has files that will help confirm the compounds' origins. He'll want to go directly from his meet with Gustus to his meet with Emerson."

"Okay." Lexa said. "So Gustus, you go sell the meet. Make the General believe that you believe his every word of the deal. Don't go back to your car. Anya and Indra will back you up, I'll send Lincoln with you guys as well, once the General has the vials, you tail him back to Emerson."

"I'm going to be there as well." Roan said.

"Like hell you are." Indra spat.

"Look, I appreciate the fact the you guys don't trust me, hell, I wouldn't trust me either." Roan said. "But I'm going, because if by any chance Emerson happens to elude you guys, I'm the one that's gonna have my nuts in the ringer. It would only be a matter of time before he figures out that I'm the only one that could have discovered his connections to Mt. Weather, the General, and Azgeda. Then my own mother will be coming after my head."

"I thought you were already standing against her." Lexa said.

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that yet." Roan said. "I'm against her plans, but I'd be a fool to make a stand against her though, without having all my pieces in place before hand."

"And Trikru pack, you think we're one of your pieces?" Lexa asked.

Roan looked to Lexa, and to the others, even Clarke. He regarded them all with a seemingly genuine mutual respect. "Look, I brought you what I know, I help you guys out tomorrow, you back my power play, and give me your support within the coalition. You'll never have to worry about the threat of Azgeda again. You have my word."

"Why should we trust you?" Indra asked. Roan turned his gaze to Indra, then to Lexa and finally Clarke.

"Give us one good reason." Lexa said.

"Because, Emerson's mission was to get the vials from the General." Roan said. He pulled something from his pocket, tossing it on the table. It was the photo of Clarke that Nia had given him. "My mission was to kill Clarke."


End file.
